David Braziel: I am Not a Poet (and other poems)
from 'Five Pictures'

1.
You had just arrived, 
still wearing your coat, 
not sure about stopping 
but I had to register you. 

It seemed wrong, 
like clipping your wings, 
unfairly grounding you. 

With a shaking hand 
I signed your name 
then rushed back to find you 
and your mother sleeping. 

You, with your clenched fists,
your wrinkled nose, 
your face so serious. 

Just right for one
so newly tied 
to the world of men.

​David Braziel's wonderfully entitled début collection sees him continue his unique blend of whimsy and poignancy that has been delighting live audiences across the North. Touching on varied subjects such as dreams, walks, cancer, adolescence and Seamus Heaney, David constantly returns to the twin themes of family and love, which form the crux of this tender and delightful collection.

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David Braziel is the winner of numerous poetry slams, including at the Belfast Book Festival and Aspects Literary Festival amongst others, and represented Ulster at the All Ireland Poetry Slam final 2014. He has been invited to perform his work at the Dublin Lingo Festival, Stendhal Arts, and On Home Ground.

David is a founder member of the Lough Neagh Writers group, recently helping to direct and edit a documentary exploring the work of the group and their lives in and around the divided towns of Lurgan and Portadown. He is a regular at the Purely Poetry open mic nights, and has had poetry and short fiction published in local anthologies, magazines and online, including FourXFour, The Incubator, and Community Arts Partnership anthologies. David was also recently long-listed for the Seamus Heaney Award for New Writing.