I recently met the poet Heather Moulson. This happened at a new spoken word event I attended. She was the Featured Artist there.
I heard her set, some of which was from the book Bunty, I Miss You! which was published a few years ago.
I then met up with her a few months later. I had tried to buy her book independently. She agreed to send me a copy.
So my question before this was why did I want to read this book. What attracted me to the poetry? What did I learn about myself?
My answers are
The words drew me in. I recognised the years she was reflecting on. I was a child in the 70’s. Whilst this was the angst of a girl/ woman, I was capable of reflecting on a fairly beige decade. I saw these teens who I thought were grown up, but in reality, they were still imbued with childhood thoughts. I had sisters/ female cousins so I saw Bunty and Jackie comics/ magazines in the house. I am sure I had never read them. Still, I remember this is what the female minds hung on, depending on their ages.
The 1970’s was a decade of contradictions. The freedoms from the 1960’s were still juxtaposed with the fights for equality. The macho inequality of racism and sexism was also reflected on TV and attitudes.
I saw the words reflecting the wish to succeed in the world. They spoke to the expectations of marriage and sex (in or out of marriage). The words also captured the harshness of girls when they offer it and are rejected. Additionally, they expressed the struggle to be mature.
The words within this book are funny and humorous. They are also sad. I can see an element of Pam Ayres if she was starting out writing for the 2000’s crowd.
However, this is not fair to say Heather is Pam Ayres of the 2000’s. No Opportunity Knocks with Hughie Green and we all know how he really was (most insincerely folks)
There is a rawness. You need the swearing and the anger about being rejected by the boy or man of the adolescent dreams. This happens for some “slag” who still turns out to be your best friend. You feel expressions of sadness as you compare your life, house, and dinner. You notice how your friend’s parents speak to you versus your own. How being poor is an embarrassment.
To answer what did this all mean to me. As a child I was embarrassed of where I lived due to poverty. My parents had to work hard to keep us fed and clothed. We felt strange as Irish Catholics in a Church Of England world. This is not attributing fault to the times, my parents or others but reminded me of my helplessness sometimes. Reading this poetry book of the times was a safe way to think about these times. It helped us show that we survived.
I hope you can tell I enjoyed what I read. I love humour and would recommend this book. I would also recommend watching Heather perform a poetry set if you can.
Joe the poet 