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Bahrain’s Poet-Piper!

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He breathes life into his poetry through the enchanting notes of his bagpipe. His poetry resonates the nostalgia that his bagpipe creates. He gives Bahrain an extraordinary cultural richness through his creative pursuits, his poetry and music. Meet Gordon Simmonds, an army professional, an author, poet and a piper from England who brings to the Island country the songs of the River Thames and the memories of the  battlefields…

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Gordon Simmonds, an army professional, an author, poet and a piper from England

Tell us briefly about yourself, where you were born and brought up, any special childhood memories, etc.

I was born in Essex, England, and I spent my childhood along the north bank of the River Thames. It was an idyllic upbringing for a boy. Very little traffic, and a mile in one direction was the river, a mile in the other was open countryside, with plenty of opportunity for childish mischief in between. There are so many memories such as; stealing apples from an orchard, racing bicycles, digging for buried treasure…

Give us a brief summary of your educational and professional background.

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I joined the Army at fifteen and went to an Army Apprentice College where I came second in the final exams. I specialized in Control Equipment which included tanks and guided missiles but was also trained in Radar and Telecommunications – without doubt, that background got me to where I am now.

How early were you initiated into poetry and music?

Every child dabbled in poetry at school. I never took it seriously, but one of my poems was entered into a competition run by the BBC, where someone thought it was good enough to be broadcast – I won a book token. As for music; every year, my town held a big carnival, with gaily decorated floats and a large number of different bands – brass bands, jazz bands, bugle bands… and pipe bands. I fell in love with the sound of the bagpipes and joined up aged fourteen.

Please tell us about your achievements and awards as a poet.

I’ve spent sixty years without the time or inclination to write or read poetry, so the short answer is “None.” I owned a greyhound, which I would walk most nights very late. In that quiet time, my head would fill with words which I would syncopate with the sound of my footsteps, and in time, I wrote them down.

In music, what is your favourite form/genre?

It’s a mood thing. If I’m up, it’s heavy rock with Gary Moore, Thin Lizzy, Deep Purple. If I’m down, it’s Barbra Streisand, Delta Goodrem or Celine Dion. Somewhere in the middle would be Celtic music in the form of the Uillean pipes or bagpipes.

Please tell us briefly about your published works.

In piping, they say that if you write a piece of music, you will love it – put it away for a few weeks and come back to it again. If you still love it, then it may have some merit. So it was with my poetry. Revisiting the poems I had written, I thought they were quite good, but not knowing what to do with them, I had them published in a free anthology. Finally I used the free service developed by Kindle and published on Amazon.

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Works of Gordon Simmonds

Any memorable experience in life?

They say that a poet must experience the extremes of life in order to write. I’ve had more than my fair share of good times and bad times, and few of them have influenced my work! Highlights: Playing the pipes for His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa. Lowlights: I just don’t dwell on them.

Gordon the professional or Gordon the poet. Which do you relate to most and why?

A tricky one. Professionally; I like to think I am good at what I do, and it pays the rent. Poet? The poet in me is so far removed from the laid back guy in real life that I wonder if it is me writing. Perhaps an alter ego, which has not always been there, but in recent times induces me to write about things about which I have no experience – my unknown soldier.

Is there a difference in the creative satisfaction that you derive from a piece of music played on the bagpipe and that derived from a poem you have written?

No. I know when I have played well, or if a piece of poetry is written well, and in both cases, the feeling is “Yesssss…” However, to play or write badly (when the right words just won’t come) just makes me angry at my own fallibility.

What is your message to aspiring artists and poets of Bahrain?

Self-doubt is the bane of all would be writers and poets. A wise man once told me that anyone who writes, is a writer. Anyone who writes poetry, is a poet. Anyone who paints is an artist. The quality is subjective. Of the millions of people on this planet, some will like what you do, but only if you GET IT OUT THERE.

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Gordon Simmonds brings to the Island country the songs of the River Thames and the memories of the battlefields.

    

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