When I was asked to be involved in the Ten Letters project I was delighted.  It sounded like such a great idea.  At the first meeting I was blown away by the talent on display and the ideas that the other poets had for writing about their city.  It was truly inspiring.  I’m originally from Wolverhampton not Birmingham,  although I work in a Brum a fair bit and travel through it fairly often on my narrow boat.  If I’m honest I sometimes get a bit overwhelmed by the crowds, traffic and the height of the buildings, that’s not to say I’m not impressed because I am.  It was that feeling that gave me the starting point for my poem.  I then developed the idea a little further by linking in with the idea of a ‘Greater Birmingham’ that has been lurking around in recent times.  The ‘voice’ in my poem is that of an area outside Birmingham that’s a little bit fearful of losing its identity to its rather flamboyant neighbour.  I’m currently pounding the tow paths trying to learn the piece, frightening dog walkers and boaters alike.  So if you see a woman down the cut with a slightly demented expression who appears to be talking to herself in a very broad accent, then do stop and say hello 🙂