Scarf from John Lewis
Gillian Clarke is renowned for her poetry that has been recognized by several awards. She has written poems of winter and Welsh Legend, however she is shifting her canvas to that of the John Lewis window in Cardiff.
Clarke's poem "Home", written in honour of the third anniversary of John Lewis's Cardiff branch. It will be displayed in the department store's window surrounded by a selection of household items from the store.
Clarke, who was born in Cardiff, is best known as National Poet of Wales in 2008 and won the Queen's Gold Medal for poetry in 2010. She initiated the concept after she found herself unable to work with John Lewis on National Poetry Day.
John Lewis was happy to collaborate and it is hoped that this idea will be extended to all the other John Lewis stories in the country. Clarke’s motivation for this was not to sell products and make people believe that they were required to buy the items on display. The room boasts a light, a chair and a lamp that can be the staple of any living room and will make spectators feel drawn into the scene while they read the poem on the glass.
Home by Gillian Clarke
Evening, home after hours away,
I catch my room out, dreaming,
in a doze at the end of the day,
surprised by blue dusk at the window,
white cups and dishes gleaming,
my chair, my rug, electricity's glow.
This room and I want music, lamplight,
a good book, fresh tea steaming.
Across the evening city home is waking,
in semis, terraced streets, estates,
in quiet suburbs, silence breaking
with TV, kettles, radio,
as one by one the windows light
till every tower-block's an Advent calendar,
countdown to winter and the longest night.
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