Chill Pill Christmas Special; Luke Wright, United Vibrations, Aisling Fahey & Vanessa KIssuule at The Albany (December 18th)

Here are two powerful poems by two of our featured poets appearing at the Chill Pill Christmas Special at The Albany. I'd suggest watching these all the way through, and on your own. Then I'd remind you that the Chill Pill Christmas show will indeed be a BIG HAPPIER PARTY!

Luke Wright

“One of the funniest and most brilliant poets of his generation.”  The Independent.

Luke was a poet in residency on BBC Radio 4’s saturday live, he’s the founder of the Latitude Poetry tent, and regularly tours with John Cooper Clarke.

For this Chill Pill event he is performing a special xmas collaboration with stand-up comedian and musician Vikki Stone, and her choir

United Vibrations



Vanessa Kisuule

She is the current Roundhouse Slam Champion AND the current Hammer & Tongue national slam champion, currently based in Bristol. 



CHILL PILL TICKETS ON SALE NOW - £9 

http://www.thealbany.org.uk/event_detail/1257/Spoken-Word/Chill-Pill:-Christmas-Special

The First Time I Wore Hearing Aids

1.

The first time I wore hearing aids
Stepping out of Saint Bartholomew 
Hospital. I heard pigeon flapping 
crowded city traffic avalanche my ears
like never before. If there was silence
behind any doors in my brain 
they’d been unhinged. It is a miracle
that anyone can think in this volume of busy. 

2.

The first time I heard the bell on the bus,
I kept pushing it for every stop, 
it vexed the bus driver
but I was a child 
playing with sound.

3.

First day at school,
Kieran saw my hearing aids 
and asked if I was a secret agent, 
I said yes, my ears are investigators 
of missing sounds. 

4.

I can still hear 
Miss Williams taking register.
every present syllable in Ray-mo-nd-Ant-ro-bus
was a silent prayers for absence.

5.

When Dominick asked if support teachers 
sit with me in class because I’m stupid,
I wished I said something smart
to clarify my intelligence.

6.

I wished I could trust my ears
to pick up the answers.



7.

In speech therapy
I struggled with
confidence 
pronouncing it con-fi-der.

The sound was too dense, too tuned out of frequency.

8.

In the hearing aid repair clinic
The TV is always on mute – Or is it?


9.

I turned off my hearing aids
to write this, because sometimes, 
hearing aids make you hear everything 
except yourself.