A BLIND poet has taken to a recording studio to share his reflections on life.
Gary Peacock, of Shotton, has recorded a poetry album containing 19 pieces with the backing of guitars and atmospherics.
He recorded the album at Michael Clarke Studio, Connah’s Quay.
Gary, 45, who has been blind since birth, read most of the poems from Braille transcripts.
He said: “I wanted to be able to put my thoughts and experiences into the poems. A lot of the poems are issues I have experienced and they attempt to capture my perspective on the journey through this world.
“I have always enjoyed the arts, such as music and poetry. I enjoy creativity.
“Doing this gave me a lot of pleasure and I hope the listener also enjoys it.”
Themes covered in the album, entitled 1984, include twilight, darkness and early dawn.
With celebrated poets such as John Milton, Jorge Luis Borges, Samuel Johnson, Rudyard Kipling and Aldous Huxley having all experienced varying degrees of blindness, Gary has a range of role models to follow.
He said the poems have an “autobiographical” nature and an element of “dark comedy”.
He has teamed up with teacher Michael Clarke, who has established a studio in Connah’s Quay and teaches guitar and bass.
“Michael and his engineer Steve Butler have been a great help,” said Gary.
“It was a pleasure to work with them. Michael has brought a wealth of experience to ensure the recordings were properly engineered.
“Both Michael and Steve took my work to dimensions far higher than I possibly could have dreamed of.”
l The album is available as an MP3 download for £7.99 or a CD priced £9.99 (studio pickup) or £11.99 (including postage). For details visit www.michaelclarkestudio.co.uk/1984.php
A percentage of sales from the CD will go towards Guide Dogs for the Blind.