On Saturday 9 June, at 4pm, Laila Sumpton, one of the talented young Keats House London poets, will be reading at the Keats-Shelley House here in Rome. The museum's normal entrance fee applies, and refreshments will be served after the reading. Come along and give Laila a very warm welcome to Rome, as she reads a selection of her inspiring poems...

http://lailasumpton.blogspot.com/  

Laila`s poetry uses imagery and lyricism to tell stories about identity and human rights. She studied English literature at the University of St Andrews and is studying Human Rights at the University of London. She has worked with various NGOs using poetry and the arts to campaign  for human rights and bring people together.

She is a member of the Keats House Poetry Forum, who perform at events in Keats House and Laila organises workshops at the annual Keats House Festival in London, as well as at festivals across the UK. She is putting together her first pamphlet and has been documenting the memories of war survivors in Bosnia. She has run poetry workshops for young people at museums including the London Transport Museum and her work is currently part of the "At Home with the World " exhibition at the Geffrye Museum in London.

"Keats House in London has been an inspirational place for me to work and perform at over the last two years and the following piece is about Browns` Parlour, a room in Keats House where the poet convalesced."

Browns' parlour

The windows blink at cooling cheeks

propped up and swirling the last dregs of ale.

Twilight bulbs stutter

as the filaments hum shanties.

The carpet only holds onto the little waves

made by the dragging gowns

which wash away your unsteady prints

towards that green chez lounge.

By morning only heel points

dimple the carpet

in awkward constellations

around your untouched soup.

Fog hangs down from the ceiling

like grey pillows with guts free falling

in coughs above your head.

If you continue to sleep in here

these walls will guard you from morning

leave you feeling embroidered.