Melding of Arts – (c) 2014 Gerard Blacklock

I have a mate who I have known for years (10+ yrs), he’s a bit eccentric, someone whom you may look twice at walking down the street, like most of us, he has had his ups and downs. He has flown planes, dabbled in building planes, dabbled in engineering but for the entire time I have known him, he has written poetry and rather well at that.

Over the years he has shared hundreds of poems with me, some no more than several lines penciled on a napkin, some elaborately presented on posters. Its only after several years did i notice I can truly see his journey through life through his poems, during the good times and the bad the poetry has reflected where he was at during that moment, week or even year, who he was with and what he was doing.

Sometimes it (poetry) had taken a back seat to pursue engineering, a dream and passion he thrives on and longs for but always it returned and another work was written, sometimes these breaks went for over a year.

Often he has asked for and used a picture of mine to couple with his poetry, often as a bookmark, small booklet, poster or just a card. He would then head out to sell them, often quite successfully too! he would always say
“it must be the picture”
however truth be told I know its more than that, good words and words that we can all relate to and engage with are worth more than a picture ever would be (to me anyway), plus, anyone can take a half decent photo 🙂

So, in a recent venture and after many months of me dragging the chain he got together a number of he recent works together and matched them to a selection of my recent images. The result,
Light on Life
a small 16 page booklet of short poems.

You will not find these online, you will not find the poet online, not on gplus, facebook or the like, you might see him one day on the streets of Newtown or close by selling his work.

Over the years he has given me a copy of some of his publications, the only requirement I have asked for in return for the use of the images 🙂 I told him the other day, you must make sure you have a backup of all your poetry and he said, in not so many words,
“no, i write it, print it sell it and basically move on”
So, i guess… in a way ..each run is limited 🙂

Good on ya Neil.

Here is the first poem in the book, just as a sampler 🙂

To the Missed
Will there be
A hug for me
In that moment I
Glimpse you in
Eternity?
Your love ran
Cold on stones
My Love in that
Moment you died
The icy breath
Of death’s vale
Met even you!
Oh, greet me
With the kiss
I loved.

Copyright Neil Andrew Granger

and so there it is…the point of the title.. the melding of the Arts, Brilliant Poetry by Neil Granger and Photography by Gerard Blacklock (‘Gerry”)