Helen Goodbarton

Celebrate a loved one, commemorate a special occasion, reveal hidden histories of your business premises, get a key message across to customers in a colourful and memorable way...

I offer both personal and business requests for poetry commissions. Get in touch via the contact page to start the conversation. Prices vary depending on length of poem and also the depth of the subject matter.

Nottingham City Council commissioned this Street Poem as part of the delivery of the National Lottery Heritage Fund supported Carrington Street Townscape Heritage Regeneration Scheme.

As part of the commission I researched the history of the area extensively and chose the buildings I felt would lend themselves well to telling a tale of the past. I reached out to local residents and workers past and present, to help create a really vivid picture of the street over the years.

The poem brought to life the street's history through some of its prominent buildings, with each of them having its own voice and character to tell its story.

I worked in collaboration with a local film maker who then collected images, both from the present and past, to put together a video to enhance the poem.

The piece was performed by local actors at a launch on the street in November 2021. Poems are accessible via QR codes on the relevant buildings as well as via the website linked above.

I walked in here a novice,

This place,

Where we chased stories,

Stage glories

And boys.

Once cast to become a master

Of our roles,

As the walls dripped into our souls

Etching memories of musty corridors

And echoing halls.

Lines taped on the floor

Marking out our goals.

Each moment shaping our lives

Much more than we would realise.

​

I walked in here a student,

This place,

Where we based our youth

Feeling the truth

In growth.

Now to act to the packed

Rows of seats;

Black hanging cloth softening heartbeats.

Out the back, pitch black stage entrances

Full of wild whispers

And furtive glances,

As the bright light heats

Shows of confidence upon the stage,

Marking each coming of age.

​

I walked in here a fellow,

This place,

Where we raced to impress,

Make progress,

Become the best;

Adding more to our score

With each play.

The life blood to the concrete veins

Of corridors, keeping the place alive.

In return it was our sanctuary,

Helped up thrive

Through difficult days,

Finding more of ourselves year by year,

The path to the future becoming clear.

​

I walked in here a mentor,

This place,

Where we faced the new herd,

Equally stirred

By each word,

To show the next in row

Our rituals;

The practices we learnt now victuals

For fresh faces, as each conquered corner

Offered havens for creation;

For each performer,

So habitual.

And, with the walls imprinted in our core

We left behind a welcome open door

​

I walked in here one last time,

This place,

Which raised dancers, directors

Singers and actors

New chapters

Housed teachers for each of us

Gave leaders

Generated writers and readers,

To walk, one last time, through the halls

Seeping with memories,

Where heavy-hearted walls

Whispered "heed us!"

And, quietly so, and age of fostering ends

Leaving such a legacy,

and such friends!

​

Copyright August 2021

Bertie bought a lollipop

He licked it all around the top

The top got sticky from the spit,

So Bertie licked a different bit

It seemed our Bertie didn't get

That sweets get sticky when they're wet

And so, quite soon, as you can guess

The lolly was a sticky mess

And soon, young Bertie had to stop

'cos now HE was the lollipop.

​

Copyright January 2021

We’ll walk along the street

Without a mask upon our face

You can go to school as normal

And not worry about space

We’ll ride the trams and buses

Without the extra layer of stress

And think of all the buttons that

You’ll be allowed to press

We’ll bounce around at soft play

And take trips out to the fair,

Have a sleepover at our house

With all your best friends there

I won’t have need to rein you in

And stop those carefree urges,

Like giggling secret groups,

In case infection merges

We’ll have the biggest party

When this pandemic ends

To celebrate the birthdays of

All family and friends

We’ll hug and kiss and dance

With every loved one we can find

But we’ll also leave a chair free

For the ones we left behind.

​

Copyright January 2021

Hercules was asked one day

How much he could carry, so straight away

He held a hippo in the air

Then a table and a chair

Then a pile of great big melons

But he didn't stop there!

He put on top the biggest cheese,

Found around The Pyrenees

And he didn't drop a single thing

The Mighty Hercules

​

Copyright September 2008