The Food & Art Family Fun Day in West Howe in Bournemouth was a great success, with about 70 people coming to enjoy a beautiful community event together.  Stuart & Satya, our 2 artists, designed and produced a remarkable mosaic mural project for the kids to paint which was then assembled into its full glory in the entrance hall of the community centre.  

As well as painting, everyone enjoyed a delicious middle-eastern vegetarian lunch and home-made tea and cake in the afternoon, a concert with Yanni & Jagadamba, a fun kids yoga class with Jagadamba, laughter yoga with Prashant, a Heart Temple pampering experience for the ladies, an Emotional Baggage Exchange Shop, an amazing audio-visual Twister game and a Poet in Residence who put together everyone's thoughts about what love is and read the poem at the end of the day.  The Love Poem is by Simon McCormack, Arts Council funded Poet in Residence. The feedback was amazing - they said they've never had a day like it and look forward to the next one.

Love Is

A Community Poem

Love is doing dangerous things, brighter than the sun,

deeper than the cave runs. Love is a doodle, a cartoon heart

left on a piece of scrap paper, a family trip to the park

with autumn leaves crackling underfoot

& a swing for everyone… where we heave like waves crashing

against a shore & taste sea salt in the air & laugh in wonder

at the thunder we make. Love is lightning. Love is a roar

that won't wake the sleeping grandkids, or shake the morning dew

from the grass. Love is as happy with infinity as with stroking a cat.

Love is a kitten born on Valentine's Day,

called Misty, yeah, & she's black & white &

when she goes out she hangs out with other cats. Love

is as simple as that. Love spends time with me in the morning

watching the sea meet the sky. Love keeps me

balanced, flowing in unison, a stream, a waterfall,

a tap left running in the kitchen

where we sit around a table tasting home-made cake.

Love is my family, my family is my world,

my world is a garden of roses

or a bunch of herbs tied with ribbon -

lavender, jasmine, birds chirping, loud laughter

like hyenas, & a hug that you want to have forever. Forever!

Love will never leave you stumped,

is a piece of art by Fahad, aged 22 months.

Love is a lost set of keys. Endless, eternal,

a walk through the woods with the leaves jangling

along all the branches

and then Love is suddenly found

right here, right here & right here, where we left it.

~~ Simon McCormack, Arts Council funded Poet in Residence