23 August 2010

Tuesday poem: 'Battle Rattle Sally' by Scott Kendrick

Battle Rattle Sally
by Scott Kendrick


(If you can't view it here, you'll also find this video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnOnMa8ZbwI)

To celebrate getting broadband, one of the first things I did was to upload this video I made of Scott Kendrick performing this poem, impromptu, at his mumblemumble birthday last year. Where other people chant 'Speech, speech!' we chanted 'Poem, poem!' and we got what we wanted. Anyway, I quickly realised the version I'd uploaded was the wrong one, and this evening uploaded the proper version.

Battle Rattle Sally is from Scott's book Cold Comfort, Cold Concrete: Poems and Satires, published by Seraph Press (ie me) back in 2007. It's short, sweet, has a great rhythm, and was short enough for Scott to be able to remember this far into his party, which is quite an achievement.

Now that I'm on broadband, I have great plans of making and uploading more poetry videos, and of expanding the directory I was trying to create at NZ poets on video. We'll see if that actually happens, but I have good intentions.

Hope you enjoy this. More poems at the Tuesday Poem blog: http://tuesdaypoem.blogspot.com/

3 comments:

Billy said...

Drinking the beer at the end makes this somehow. :)

Helen Rickerby said...

Thanks guys! I also feel the swig of beer is a perfect end. I also love the chanting at the beginning - Ed's distinctive voice starting it all - and then you, Billy, suggesting he make one up. Angelina told me today that the poem really reminds her of Dr Suess, which adds an element I'd never previously got.

M40 said...

I'm feeling the warmth of this crowd. Love the two women going 'Oh yeah!' and 'Yeah, yeah, yeah!' when he says the poem's title (as if that's a favourite from his repertoire).
Great video, looking forward to more :-)!