Peter Read Writes A Wrexham Public Poem

Local poet Peter Read spent Thursday 8th November at Cyfuno’s A Sense of Place exhibition in the People’s Market, where he spoke to visitors to get their impressions of Wrexham before weaving their thoughts into a ‘public poem’. Peter, who comes from Rhos, is an old hand at this sort of thing, having previously done it at many different locations – including on a train for the opening of the Ebbw Vale to Cardiff railway a few years ago.

However, as well as being a poet and a freelance writer, he’s also a successful ghostwriter, most notably (for fellow Wrexham fans, at least!) having ghostwritten Dixie McNeil’s well-received autobiography. He’s had an eventful career, which started with him being a minister of religion before losing his faith, and has also involved working for charities including Shelter Cymru and a drugs rehab centre. More recently, he had a three-year spell helping to run the Stiwt Theatre, saying he had “some exciting times there”, before moving down to Swansea for a second time to become a freelance writer.

In addition to the poetry and books, he’s a successful playwright, with footballer Alan Shearer turning up to see Peter’s play Shearer or Me! when it was performed in Blackburn, and his Wemberlee! Wemberlee!, about Swansea City’s play-off final victory – which was loosely based on Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales – being performed to great reviews in Swansea.

We spoke to Peter on Thursday morning after he’d already been given some ideas for the poem, and he said “People have told me wonderful things about Wrexham.” He was clearly enjoying his day and we’d like to thank him for sharing the poem below with us.

We also got back in touch with him on the day after the event, and he said to us “People say everyone has a novel in them. I’ve always believed everyone has poetic sparks inside them and I think yesterday proved that, with some great ideas coming from people passing by or popping into the exhibition.”

WREXHAM PUBLIC POEM by Peter Read
(A poem based on reactions in the People’s Market, when individuals were asked what they thought of the town)

‘I hate the place’ says someone who’s lived here all his life.
‘The town died because it has no heritage,
buildings knocked down over night, councillors standing by.’

‘They pulled down all the Victorian frontages,
replaced them with Victorian lamp posts.’

‘The roughest parts of my city are not as bad
as your town centre,’ the man from Cardiff claimed.

‘Wrexham? Don’t move there, Runcorn people said.
But what does Runcorn have? It’s nothing but a hole bulging with smells,
Jam packed houses, plus belching power stations.
Coedpoeth and Wrexham has it all’ she says,
‘community walks, community football,
pubs bulging at the seams for Sunday lunch
with banter, laughter and local chatter.’

‘We have moaned and groaned since industry fled,
but it has so much going for it.
Must stop being terrified by words beginning with culture,
let’s channel the talent, make the place flow, buzz again.’

‘The town’s dissected into three,
Island green, Eagle’s Meadow, Dunhelm,
Let’s unite it, give it cohesion.’

‘It’s not all bad’ someone says.
‘Wrexham’s got the best fish and chip shop in Wales,
chips long as motorways, chunky as Sumo wrestlers
and fish, large as peninsulas, fill the plate.’

‘Before the monsters, Asda and Tesco
swallowed up schools, trees and parks,
I lived in a quiet place, now I dart between speeding cars.
The noise says it could be Manchester, London, anywhere.

‘Wrexham, it’s an honest open place
not too aware of itself, like other towns and cities,
but needs to think more of itself,
see the art, life and buzziness,
bursting through the cracks.’
Wrexham you don’t want to live there, do you?
Wrexham, the friendly town where people talk
And help me make their poem.
Wrexham, love it or hate it, it’s our place.