I went to the Library for a poetry reading at 11 am by Lesley Curwen and Stephen Paul Wren, who previously collaborated on the poetry collection ‘Permanence’, exploring the effects of microplastics. Stephen, a chemist, writes poetry that blends science with something more human – emotions. A copy of ‘Permanence’ is available at the Climate Emergency Centre.

Stephen read from his collection ‘Blood Women’, celebrating important women in his life, including the daughter he lost, while exploring the remarkable substance that keeps us alive: blood. He spoke about the millions of tiny miracles sustaining us every moment. Lesley said ‘what we see is a vision of the invisible.’

Lesley read poems about her sister, whom her mother had been forced to give away and whom she only rediscovered in her forties. She also shared work from her new collection ‘Orca Mother’, reimagining that loss through the world of Orcas, where a young whale is suddenly taken away. The poems explored grief and more surreal experiences through Orcas.

Both readings were lovely though perhaps the weather forecast tempted some people elsewhere today.

It was a warm day. On the Market Place, the fruit and veg stall was there in place of the usual Monday Market because of the Bank Holiday. People sat outside the coffee places enjoying the sunshine. There were also people conducting a survey about the Abingdon Reservoir. It took about twenty minutes to complete.

And here are four familiar faces around town. One was asked to do the survey but had a good excuse to avoid it.

Seeing them made me think back to Stephen’s words about the little miracles that keep us going. As we get older, and when some are dealing with hospital appointments and treatment, simply getting together in the sunshine becomes a kind of miracle. The invisible things that sustain us are not only blood cells and chemistry, but also friendship.