Moon Printed Shadows

Morning Rituals

2011-11-17T11:09:00.000-08:00

At the burning of the toast
I prepare the spread
Bertoli's or Utterly Butterly
The sacrificial jam:
Mrs Darlington's
A nice new loaf of tiger white
Twice around the toaster
And then we bite

Trees

2011-10-23T13:51:00.000-07:00

St Anne's Square on Saturday

2011-10-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

Trees/ View from Busstop

2011-10-16T12:14:00.000-07:00

When Will He Who Hath Taken Away The Sins Of The World Be Famous

2011-10-05T14:10:00.000-07:00

Jesus was an 80's kid
He liked Bros
Died on the cross
Tore his jeans
For our sins
Son of God
Saw them on Top of the Pops
When he'd done his miracles
He'd take his Disciples down to the disco
John the Baptist
Loved his Kraftwerk
And Mary Magdelene
Played the synth

I Must Confess

2011-09-20T15:08:00.000-07:00

I must confess
That on a number of occasions
I have used words without fully understanding their meaning
I have from time to time been known to refer to the dictionary
Or sometimes I just stick them in
Because I think they look pretty
So please don't feel cheated
If I say that every line in this poem has been superheated
When blowing up a balloon,
The hardest part is getting it started
It turns out that the excess pressure due to surface tension
Is inversely proportional to the diameter of the bubble

And you know
I'll do anything for a rhyme

Page Watching

2011-09-19T12:08:00.000-07:00

I've been page watching
For the past few weeks
Mostly during my lunchbreak
Or when I'm on the bus

Some people call it reading
But I think they're missing the point
I don't just look at the words
I look at the spaces and the numbers too

I find second-hand books the most rewarding
You can trace the signs of age
The imprint of ownership
In every crease and every fold

I know what you're going to say
Why not just stare at a blank page
If you're not interested in the characters or the plot
Then why bother to even look

But for me it's not about what's there
But what's not
And after an afternoon of page watching
I might go and read a book

Sandwiches

2011-09-19T12:06:00.001-07:00

How do they know
When they come
Or where they go
Every day
I go too late
And I'm left
With no breadcake, barm or butty
They must think I'm nutty

Ducks V's Swans

2011-09-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

You need ducks
To do the dishes
Stick their bums up
And hunt for fishes

Swans are all majestic
No one ever sees them
Get their heads wet

But I'm sure they still have odd days
When they forget

The Mouse in the House

2011-09-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

Blackpool 4 Leyton Orient 2

2011-09-11T04:59:00.000-07:00

LAUGHING DONKEYS............FREE
DONUTS......................5 for £2
CHARITY BAKING APPLES.......10p
SEASIDE DRIZZLE.............intermittent
BONNIE WEE MARKET...........more often than not
COFFEE AND A MUFFIN.........£1
BATMAN & ROBIN..............with two cans of Stella
ALAN BENNETT................50p
............................what a lovely fella

Turtle Talk

2011-09-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

Crocodiles, sharks and hungry fush
You sea turtles
Have got it tough

Vinyl Transfers

2011-08-17T16:40:00.000-07:00

I like the mp3's with the crackles
The one's that jump and skip
They sometimes sound nicest
When the speakers are off

When you open Media Player
You can't watch them spin
They have this strange way
That they keep going

They don't come in megabytes
They have multiple values
And you still have to wait to see
What's on side 2

Cherry Socks

2011-08-16T07:14:00.000-07:00

Raised on a diet of Roger McGough,
Cherry pop
And odd socks
I chose books
Over tooth decay and funny looks

To Bee or Not to Bee

2011-08-15T09:06:00.000-07:00

Writing sometimes-poems
That are too short to read
Designed for bus trips
And busy bees
My short stories
Never got off their feet
But at least I'm keeping
The bees happy

Cats and Bats

2011-08-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

Bats are all black
And they have ears
They can hear things
When it's dark
Their hearts are in the right place
Cats aren't just lazy in books
And caterpillars
Really do like trees

Tears

2011-07-25T16:14:00.000-07:00

Different tears come

At different times
Some gush
And others flood
Some happen when you're in a rush
And some even fall
When you're not in love
These tears can't be classified
There's no need

They're in me

Tiny Fireflies

2011-07-20T16:07:00.000-07:00

Poem for Andy Cole

2011-07-19T07:26:00.000-07:00

You scored my favourite goal
Do you remember the one
The ball came in from the left
Or was it the right
One touch
And the crowd were on their feet
You blinked
And I missed it

Poem for Paul Scholes

2011-07-18T11:57:00.000-07:00

The little magician
Popping up where you'd least expect him
Sometimes with his head
Other times his toes
He could use anything
He was such a good technician

Poem for Roy Keane

2011-07-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

Your reputation
Went before you
Whenever you took to the field
We were all scared
You might lose it
But I always knew
You were a puppy
In a wolf's skin

Poem for Ryan Giggs

2011-07-17T18:02:00.000-07:00

Expert dribbler
Better than most
You used to drive your mum berserk
Dribbling all the way from Pentrebane
To Whitchurch

Poem for Nicky Butt

2011-07-17T13:38:00.000-07:00

The Guv'nor of Gorton
The northerner of South China
The free agent of Preston

Poem for David Beckham

2011-07-17T13:14:00.000-07:00

You went to L.A.
For a holiday
They've got some nice shops
And Mickey's just across the Bay
But nothing beats the Trafford Centre
On a Saturday

Poem for Gary Neville

2011-06-10T06:10:00.000-07:00

Anything for a quiet life
An evening in
Watching TV
Maybe catch some of Match of the Day
Or a David Beckham souffle

Poem for Dennis Irwin

2011-06-09T06:10:00.000-07:00

You looked a bit
Like my Geography teacher
And you came from Oldham
To Manchester

Poem for Jaap Stam

2011-06-08T06:08:00.000-07:00

Jaap Stam
The flying Dutchman
Took off like a bird
Landed like a pigeon

Poem for Phil Neville

2011-06-07T04:50:00.000-07:00

The lesser known
Of the Neville's
While Gary was out dancing
You stayed at home
And did the dishes
You never knew
What you were missing

Poem For Peter Schmeichel (from a Liverpool fan)

2011-06-06T12:19:00.000-07:00

You could have stayed
At the World Wildlife Fund
You could have let us win
Just one

Eagulls V's Seagulls

2011-06-05T09:02:00.000-07:00

Eagulls are massive
But you never see them
Except on TV
But if they weren't massive
You'd have never heard of them
Because seagulls have got a lot more
Going for them

Another Rainy Day in Manchester

2011-06-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

WORLD READINGS

storms
showers
p/cloudy
sunny
p/cloudy
haze
p/cloudy
p/cloudy
p/cloudy
windy
rain
sunny
sunny
sunny
cloudy
p/cloudy
p/cloudy
p/cloudy
storms
p/cloudy
sunny
p/cloudy
sunny
storms
sunny
p/cloudy
p/cloudy
p/cloudy

EUROPEAN READINGS

sunny
p/cloudy
showers
p/cloudy
sunny
rain
showers
p/cloudy
showers
showers
sunny
p/cloudy
sunny
p/cloudy
p/cloudy
p/cloudy
sunny
sunny
showers
rain
p/cloudy
p/cloudy
p/cloudy
p/cloudy
showers
showers
sunny
sunny
rain
p/cloudy
cloudy
showers
p/cloudy
showers
cloudy
showers
sunny
cloudy

BRITISH READINGS

cloudy
showers
showers
drizzle
drizzle
cloudy
cloudy
cloudy
showers
cloudy
cloudy
drizzle
cloudy
showers
p/cloudy
showers
cloudy
p/cloudy
cloudy
cloudy
showers
cloudy
cloudy
cloudy
cloudy
cloudy
cloudy
p/cloudy
cloudy
cloudy
cloudy
p/cloudy
drizzle
cloudy
showers
cloudy
p/cloudy
cloudy
cloudy
cloudy
cloudy
cloudy
cloudy
showers
cloudy
cloudy
rain
cloudy
cloudy
cloudy
showers
cloudy
showers
showers
cloudy
cloudy
showers
cloudy
showers
cloudy
p/cloudy
cloudy
cloudy
drizzle
cloudy
cloudy
cloudy
cloudy
cloudy
cloudy
cloudy
cloudy
cloudy
drizzle
cloudy
showers
drizzle
cloudy
cloudy
p/cloudy
showers
showers
drizzle
cloudy
cloudy
showers
cloudy
showers
showers
cloudy
cloudy
showers

A Soft Landing

2011-06-02T15:50:00.000-07:00

It's a long way down
3000 miles
With a mouth full of softies
Hardly the kind of mint
For overcoming fears
But they're chewy
And good for altitude

Business As Usual

2011-06-02T15:42:00.000-07:00

No space for poems
In your passport
No place for TS Elliot
It's all business
But you can always read
Edgar Allan Poe
On your way home

Alexandra Park to Salford

2011-03-09T12:47:00.000-08:00

Chapel Street in Colours

2011-03-08T12:39:00.000-08:00

Chapel Street in Colours

In commemoration of Susan Sutherland Isaacs

Recent Drawings (January - February 2011)

2011-02-04T08:21:00.001-08:00

The Music on the Hill

Blackbird Over Mountains

Edith Piaf in the Oysterblue Night

Self Portrait in Window

Some drawings of the Lake District

2010-12-07T11:37:00.000-08:00

A wintery field in Grasmere

Horizon with Sheep

My Dinner

2010-11-16T16:51:00.000-08:00

salt and malt vinegar
the real McCoy's
ridge cut
nothing but
crisps

I find comfort in the thought
that if you take out the monosodium glutamate
and overlook the maltodextrin
there's a little bit of vegetable
in every one

Cheap and Cheerful

2010-11-16T16:41:00.000-08:00

like crabs
waiting to be cooked
no thought for comfort
no friendly introductions
and very little room
for elbows or toes
this is how we travel
on the Mega bus to Glasgow

Eat Skull

2010-11-10T17:20:00.000-08:00

Museum Piece

2010-11-05T11:22:00.000-07:00

all these patients with a reptile dysfunction
you'll need more than Viagra
now that you're a dinosaur

I know you're finding it hard
it's not your fault
don't feel bad
being prehistoric can be such a drag

all your friends are extinct
you may as well just stay in
can't do much dancing
inside of that reptile skin

just give yourself a break
there's no point giving in
it's true you're a little oversized
but at least you're not in a museum

Sketches of Crete

2010-09-08T10:47:00.000-07:00

Damnoni Beach

Elefonsi Beach

White Mountains and the sea

Bloodlust

2010-09-08T09:23:00.000-07:00

southern shards
from sudden stars
longing for
a tired silence
ghosts of goat's milk bells
tinkling below
olivehoney drips
a swallow dips
escaping thirsty hills
it sips chlorine and circles again
tasting nothing
the earth coughs up dust
and thousands of tiny bugs
affectionately see me as their next meal
for a brief moment i share in their bloodlust
i offer up my arm as a sacrifice
they gladly receive

Palm Beach

2010-09-08T09:12:00.001-07:00

Some photo's of Palm Beach in Crete, after a forest fire.

Sketch of Liverpool

2010-08-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

Chinese Arch in the Evening

Southport

2010-08-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

There's a model railway you can't see
And the chips are far too greasy for me
You can't even swim in the sea
Southport's the place to be

If you're near Liverpool it's worth a trip
Just a few miles along the coast, if you're up for it
If you don't like the fairground then there's always Matalan
If you're looking for a bargain
And they've even got fancy trams
Southport is the classic seaside town

But if you like your entertainment more old school
Maybe try the teashops or the Bingo Hall
If you're lucky you might win a tenner
Southport doesn't get much better

And if you're looking for novelty, why not try
The Antiques Market or the Bring and Buy
They've got Darth Vader masks
And postcards of the past
Or if you get really stuck
There's a Lawnmower Museum that's hard to find
Whatever you like to do
Southport will keep you busy for an hour or two

Formby

2010-08-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

wandering silently
today the sea is so noisy
it leaves its debris
scattered shells, shrapnel
washed up bits of broken machinery
all around my feet

a continuous conveyor belt
bringing in
all these obsolete jellyfish
masses of green wires
the seaweed
and some kind of seaworm
I carelessly avoid

beneath the heavy clouds
the sand darkens to a thick brown fudge
or a swiss roll
coating my feet
I'm trying not to stick

looking past
a horizon broken by charcoal buildings
ghosts of ships creep by
the city is not so far from here

Liverpool

2010-08-23T11:09:00.000-07:00

Despite the bog
The Mersey stands
For when Liverpool was once
So great & grand
And now the Seagulls go wading through
Mud so thick
You could lose a hand
The smell is enough to put off
Even the most determined of bathers
Except frogs

Trauma

2010-08-23T10:32:00.000-07:00

These people aren't here for fun
They don't get their kicks
From watching patients being operated on
They're not here to spread disease
Or to laugh at the O.A.P.'s
They're not here for the history,
The queues, or the hospitality
And they aren't looking for a bed for the night
They could be here for their medication
But they're definitely not here for the food, that's for certain
They're here for the trauma, that's all

Sketches of Manchester

2010-08-19T12:12:00.001-07:00

Moss Side Millennium Green

N.I.A. Centre, Moss Side

Sketches of Manchester

2010-08-14T12:21:00.000-07:00

Levenshulme train station in a hurry

People waiting in Piccadilly train station

Beside Messenger of Peace statue

Empty building On Rochdale Road

Sheep in Pendle

2010-08-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

Night Scares

2010-08-01T16:20:00.000-07:00

Thin and crispy clouds
Slice through the tomato peach sky
I hate those broccoli trees
Spiky silhouettes of mixed veg
Black against the farmland crust
Cabbage cows
In pizza town
My deep pan
Night-time
Night scares
Have taken their revenge

Rebound Diary Project

2010-08-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

Rebound Diary Project

2010-07-31T15:00:00.000-07:00

Rebound Diary Project

2010-07-30T14:58:00.000-07:00

Sketches of Manchester

2010-07-24T09:55:00.001-07:00

Great Western Street, Moss Side

Probation Centre, Moss Side

Derelict Church, Moss Side

View from Bus Stop, Moss Side

Buisness Men in the Canteen

Empty Cinema, Stretford

Harsh Lines & Spongy Surfaces

2010-07-24T05:53:00.000-07:00

I've been invited to do the Diary Project as part of the Hackney Wicked Art Festival in London next week, July 30th - August 1st...

More info here:
Island Projects

and here:
Hackney Wicked Art Festival

'An exhibition with installations, paintings and games, impromptu performances and audio installations that flow in and out of the exhibition space. An art exhibition as utilitarian hell. '

I'll post some pictures soon!

Sketches from Norway

2010-07-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

American theme bar in Oslo

The Norwegian Nick Cave
Bar Kristiana, Oslo

Huk beach in Bygdoy

Grunnmurede Provianthus in Fredrikstad

The Holy Trinity

2010-06-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

Rest, ice, elevation
It's not really much fun,
Being a patient

Black and White

2010-06-02T12:46:00.000-07:00

speaking should be reserved
for the less clumsy
for the polite
the noiseless
and the clutter-free

for those people capable
of eating spaghetti
the chosen few
who's words flow
like streams, sunsets and trees
and who dream of things like these

words should not be wasted
on the nervous
the nocturnal
or the nut cases
they clatter through life
tuned to black and white

defining themselves
in a half-formed sketch
a hand clap hello
and a colourless gesture
they are the centrepiece
in their cartoon theatre

Shortbread

2010-06-01T09:59:00.000-07:00

early morning push past
trauma dogs
in the queue at the vets
a symphony of sick pets
eyeing up each new pair of ankles
and each new set of legs
we all take the sniff test
anguish mixed with distrust
the taste is
not unlike Rusks

Rebound Diary Project

2010-05-11T16:19:00.000-07:00

Here are some images from the diary project two weeks ago:

Monday 26th April

Tuesday 27th April

Wednesday 28th April

Thursday 29th April

Friday 30th April

Saturday 1st May

Sunday 2nd May

My train journey in 15 second intervals

2010-05-09T16:36:00.000-07:00

Recent sketches

2010-05-08T13:58:00.000-07:00

on the bus

my mum

guitar

Bury Market

2010-05-08T13:55:00.000-07:00

sketch of Bury Market, October 2008

Election (Part 2)

2010-05-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

I voted with my feet
Now I've gone & put my foot in it

Knick Knack Issue 1

2010-05-01T03:58:00.000-07:00

I've finally completed the first issue of a fanzine called Knick Knack. It contains poetry and short stories by (mostly) Manchester based writers and copies will be available at Sounds From The Other City on Sunday at a cost of $1.50, which is only twenty pence more than a bus journey from Chorlton to Urmston.

Copies will also be in various places in and around Manchester, including: Good Grief (Affleck's Palace), Piccadilly Records and possibly more soon. E-mail: moonprintedshadows@hotmail.com if you'd like a copy posted to you.

Thanks to the following people for contributing to the fanzine: Emily McPhillips, Rebecca Willmott, Nick Ainsworth, Martin Taylor, RL Perry, Laetitia Glenton, Nick Mitchell, Miriam Avery, Michael Wilson, Laura Skilbeck, Richard Barrett and Ed Kangai.

BOX OFFICE :: 26th APR - 2nd MAY

2010-04-29T15:41:00.000-07:00

This week I have been continuing the 'Rebound Diary Project' as part of the following event:

BOX OFFICE

SALFORD CENTRAL STATION, NEW BAILEY ST. SALFORD, M3 5ET
1PM – 7PM DAILY FROM MON 26th APRIL – FRI 30th APR

Collect FREE tickets for events and performances STARRING:

SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE, ANDREW BESWICK, SHE KEEPS BEES, MAURICE CARLIN, MARIA DADA, LOWRI EVANS, PIPPA KOSZEREK, AMY PENNINGTON, SARAH SANDERS, ANDREW W K, TUNE YARDS and more tbc..

… a phantom box office appears suddenly within the empty silent space of the Salford Central Train Station. A promoter for journeys and events within ‘the other city’, this temporary ticket booth acts as a waymarker between signs of Salford past, Salford regenerated and a vision of an apocalyptic future Salford.

BOX OFFICE is an artwork by Maurice Carlin and Pippa Koszerek that issues tickets for a range of events in those spaces left defunct following industrial decline and urban regeneration. Taking place as part of the Sounds from the Other City festival, Box Office offers tickets to one-off gigs, events and performances taking place across the city in a range of overlooked and under-loved spaces between 26th April and 2nd May.

Disco Stars

2010-04-28T16:48:00.000-07:00

disco stars
black and yellow
nightime smarties
in the dark

every evening
dancing on tiptoe
they pretend to sleep

Election

2010-04-28T16:31:00.000-07:00

I'd like to think
That this squiggle
In your little black box
WIll count

one letter from eternity

2010-04-28T16:25:00.000-07:00

http://www.andrewbeswick.logspot.com/

When You Weren't Dribbling

2010-04-06T14:57:00.000-07:00

I remember thinking
Between Autumn & Spring
You were mostly sleeping
But I thought
You were probably charging your batteries
Getting ready for next year
And when you could walk,
I thought,
On the days when you weren't dribbling
You might do something good

Snow Corpse

2010-03-02T12:48:00.000-08:00

Today's Snowman

2010-03-01T12:46:00.000-08:00

Today's Snowman

2010-02-28T12:43:00.000-08:00

Today's Snowman

2010-02-27T12:26:00.000-08:00

Today's Snowman

2010-02-26T12:23:00.000-08:00

Today's Snowman

2010-02-25T12:17:00.000-08:00

Today's Snowman

2010-02-24T12:17:00.000-08:00

Today's Snowman

2010-02-23T12:15:00.000-08:00

Today's Snowman

2010-02-22T12:13:00.000-08:00

Today's Snowman

2010-02-21T12:11:00.000-08:00

Today's Snowman

2010-02-20T12:07:00.000-08:00

Today's Snowman

2010-02-19T10:55:00.000-08:00

Hospital Talk

2010-02-18T14:17:00.000-08:00

its competitive
the NHS
and everyone says
its in such a mess
filing away the deceased
think I'd rather be a priest
there's no where left for them to go
so the library has closed
we can't even send the post
fighting over the next
window envelope
its enough to drive you insane
the way some people like to complain

Today's Snowman

2010-02-18T11:51:00.000-08:00

Today's Snowman

2010-02-17T11:48:00.000-08:00

Today's Snowman

2010-02-16T11:46:00.000-08:00

Today's Snowman

2010-02-15T11:45:00.000-08:00

Today's Snowman

2010-02-14T11:38:00.000-08:00

Today's Snowman

2010-02-13T18:41:00.000-08:00

Today's Snowman

2010-02-12T18:40:00.000-08:00

Today's Snowman

2010-02-11T18:39:00.000-08:00

Today's Snowman

2010-02-10T18:37:00.000-08:00

Today's Snowman

2010-02-09T13:00:00.000-08:00

Soup (without the foam)

2010-02-09T11:14:00.000-08:00

Its another one of those vegetable soups
You know,
The one's you eat for speed
They're pretty cheap
With peas
Its kind of like
A wash & go

Today's Snowman

2010-02-08T18:35:00.000-08:00

Today's Snowman

2010-02-07T18:34:00.000-08:00

Today's Snowman

2010-02-06T18:33:00.000-08:00