Review: ADELAIDE FRINGE 2016: STREET POETRY Is Intimate And Immediate Creativity

Reviewed by Christine Pyman, Friday 12th February 2016

The City of Charles Sturt has an initiative to enhance community enjoyment and participation, and one of the outcomes of this, is the Street Poetry, poetry booth at Holden Street Theatres, this Fringe. As you walk into the bar area, you are greeted by the evocative clack of typewriter keys which leads your attention to a quasi-intimate setting where the artist/poet, Mark Niehus, sits at a desk, with a vintage English typewriter, lit by a stylish lamp, writing poetry to your subject, on demand. Niehus's work brings immediacy to an intimate experience, and is a joyful and insightful fillip to the patrons' evening, which will last much longer than those moments shared with the poet. This is performance art on a personal scale.

The final result of this wonderful sharing will be a mural painted by Mark, based on the writings. Well done City of Charles Sturt, Holden Street Theatres, and Mark Niehus.

Here is the result of my own poetry request.

A Poem On The Spontaneity Of Poetry

Everything
sits up on the edge,
strange shapes,
lost angles,
people
and time.
The longest shadow
takes to the corner
of the head
that can defeat the fear
of the next word.

Everything
sits up on the edge,
waiting,
all the loves
and missed opportunities,
odd walks,
over weight business men,
all balancing
ready to take
the chance.

Mark Niehus, 12th February 2016

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