Charlotte Harker

Charlotte has been a Survivors supporter and performer for many years. She is a visual artist, writer and performer. Her work has been supported by amongst others, Arts Council England and the Pollock Krasner Foundation, New York. She was the inaugural artist in residence at the Heath Robinson Museum in North London.

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Holiday
I am excited,
I am packing for my holiday,
I am leaving in the morning.
I’ve booked a week in a part of my bedsit I’ve never explored.
It’s not far from the window
so I’ve arranged a day trip to the curtains
where I will experience the amazing views
of the other side of the street.

I am excited,
I am packing for my holiday
In a five-star corner of my room,
my passport is up to date,
I will need to negotiate the border at the end of the bed,
then it’s a long journey across the carpet
to my destination for a week of bliss and rest.

I am going on my holiday,
to broaden my horizons,
a tour around a cupboard and I’ve never seen inside,
what delights await,
I am so excited,
I have packed for my holiday,
I can’t wait.

Storm Flower
The lightest of rain showers seemed to bludgeon the flower. When the rain and the wind went wilder, she was concerned and she observed as the thin white petals hung on. Water slid off as if the flower sobbed under the weight of the onslaught. The odds of survival seemed slim as raindrops hit the flower at a quicker and quicker velocity and the wind howled louder bending the stems to a near horizontal.

On the following day when the storm had passed, she was afraid she would discover the flower had been crushed under the weight of the heavy rain and partly buried in a shallow grave. She thought she would find scattered petals and broken stems where the wind had torn the flower apart limb by limb

But the flower was there and displayed a renewed vibrancy as it demonstrated that strength was found through vulnerability.

Nowhere
The train slowed and pulled alongside the concrete platform. On the front of the engine the destination Nowhere was displayed in black lettering. With a lack of purpose I stepped into a carriage, and I found an empty seat which I occupied. I placed my lack of purpose onto the seat next to me. Over the Tannoy the announcer’s voice said;

‘This train is an all-stations train to Nowhere calling at Boredom, Pointless Parkway, Lacklustre, Aimlessness Central, Uninspired, Mediocre Junction, Directionless and Nowhere. Passengers are advised that the last carriage doors can’t be bothered to open at Lacklustre.

When you eventually leave the train, please take all your issues with you. In advance we thank you for travelling with Faint of Heart Railways and we sincerely hope that we never see you again’

…. Her first collection of poetry and drawings `The Wear and Tear of Conversation` was published by Dempsey and Windle in 2018. Her work has been included in poetry anthologies including with Dempsey and Windle and the Writers Forum London E-Zine in 2023

A collection of illustrated short form prose and drawings `The Novel and Other Incidents` was published by TSL Publications in 2022 and `Model Boat Club Blues and Other Predicaments`in 2024 also by TSL Publications.

Her poetry and prose have been described as ranging from satires of the banal to celebrations of the absurd exploring the real and imagined and where the surreal seeps into the ordinary.

Further information can be found at:

Poetry and Prose

https://tslbooks.uk/charlotte-harker-appreciation

www.volebooks.co.uk/charlotteharker

Visual Art