TAC Bulletin – Issue Number 323 – August 2023
In Mind - a written monument to all people with intellectual disability. 50 pieces of poetry and short prose by Peter Limbrick
This is collection of short pieces about people of all ages who have learning disabilities and about the conditions they experience in any country. The collection spans the period from the1970s, coinciding with the gradual closure of some of the big 'mental handicap hospitals' in the UK.
The poetry and prose pieces, written in a variety of voices, are offered as a monument to adults and children who have lived and died or are living now in inhuman situations. The first piece, ‘Letter’, is from an imaginary hospital manager to a national newspaper. It sets the context for this In Mind collection.
[Some poems mention One-to-One and the One-to-One book. This was a 1970’s project in the USA and then UK to raise awareness of adults and children condemned to institutions. Some of Peter's other poems are published in recent issues of Scintilla, the journal of literary criticism, prose and new poetry in the metaphysical tradition.]
Here is poem No. 16:
Gate Man
No grass grows here
by the gate, under the tree.
This is where the boy stood
as his parents drove away.
This is where the boy stood
as the nurse helped him wave.
This is where the young man
is waiting, pacing,
by the gate, under the tree.
No grass grows here.
Use the writings if you wish, to help make the written monument visible to others.
In Mind - a written monument to all people with intellectual disability. (Items 1 to 10)
In Mind - a written monument to all people with intellectual disability. (Items 11 to 20)
In Mind - a written monument to all people with intellectual disability. (Items 21 to 30)
In Mind - a written monument to all people with intellectual disability. (Items 31 to 40)
In Mind - a written monument to all people with intellectual disability. (Items 41 to 50)
Editor: Peter Limbrick - About this TAC Bulletin
Peter Limbrick, Editor, Interconnections, UK.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.tacinterconnections.com
