Got a call to say a queue had formed at Glasgow’s George Gq – the infamous G spot- where the Glasgow 2014 ‘G’ stands in it colourful concentric rings, a queue of at least 2 hours long, and would i please help?

On the bike in a moment, cycling through summer midgies determined to implode my mascara and hit my eyeball, in the hi-vis vest, and despite a bicycle seat that kept tilting backwards (a brilliant second hand bike must always grow a glitch) – and an Alan key that had no grip, in half an hour I was working with a long snaking line of sun-baked spectators who had been queueing for an hour already. Well-watered (sun-screen smeared) and resolved to waiting, I had a great time sharing words with those that wanted them. One gentleman told me he didn’t go too deep, that poetry wasn’t really for him, but then in five minutes and after a bit of banter and a poem, he shared the four lines about push and pull that he had learnt off by heart. And amazing it is how many of us cling to little pieces of poetry as scraps of something to make us smile or little precious curls of solace. Another woman had three to share with me. One man came up and shook my hand even after he had collected his tickets from the box office, to say thank you. Another thanked me for the little clip she’d recorded of the poem she loved. Those that didn’t fancy it said so. And on we go, the honesty easing all awkardness.

What a great kick off to the start of Festival 2014, creativity is currency because it has the power to connect.

And queues can be hellish, and poetry is short, powerful and can be shared one-to-one as long as you mean what you say.

There is such a buzz in the city today, a rare sunshine soaked Wednesday on which to crack open a competition…

Onto Glasgow Green….it is all the ‘g’ words….grit, gumption, go for it…

Let the ‘g’ames begin