We then started to develop our owm poems based on the experience of handling the swords. We will be continuing this theme next time we meet.

I really want us to consider the sword from two completely different viewpoints, that of the person wielding the sword, but also that of the blacksmith and hopefully those two viewpoints will be reflected in the writing.

We were very lucky indeed to have Pete, (one of the blacksmiths based at Preston Hall), to tell us a bit more about the work of the blacksmith now, compared with the traditional role. I read extracts from Longfellow's poem 'The Village Blacksmith' and we considered the different qualities and physical attributes of the present-day blacksmith, (in this case Pete!), as opposed to those outlined in Longfellow's poem. :)

So, watch out for some poems to come over the next few weeks.

In the meantime, here's my blacksmith poem. Those of you on the project, read my handout notes and see how many things you can link back to this poem.