all my poems and
comment (you’ll enjoy them) ‘- when
you haven’t the courtesy
or even the guile
to read just the odd poem
of mine? Why should you
trust the judgement of a poet
you don’t even admire or
despise?
OK I’ll have cooled tomorrow but
I’m glad I’ve let off steam
and
by the way that first bit applies
to older acquaintances too.
‘Lousy poet but
good for a comment’, huh?
(OK, guys – the moment passed…)
In the poet, many poems.What moves?(for Joseph)
entitled gruntwhich isthe first poemby the first poet:grunthow do we know he was a poetsaywell he say sobut think about howit happenedone day Gruntfor that was his namelistenedto himself saying gruntand thoughtthat’s quite a nice soundif I say it carefullyit’s got a sorta music to itso he spent the rest of the daygiving it a…
and yet I loved to play at love;so made my worshipper, my lover.Now my worshipper, my dearest one,is become the mirror which we shareglancing, laughing with ourselves,laughing with each other’s selfin the mirror of the memorywhich is the loving heart.
but then i look at it, and -hell –it does describe my thoughts so well
to the truth of what was spoken?Towards the back seats of the lecture room,this tidy, slim, quiet, dark-complexioned youthlistened with unwavering attention;so much in the moment, his mind, so visibly,claiming nothing; receiving all that there was to receive;contributing, all that an audience can:under his so steady listening,I could not lie, blur, dodge; be anythingbut dedicated…
to poets, of all people –imagine, if we judged peoples’ liveslike we do their poems…your parents separate when you’re just seven?oh that’s such a contrived, unoriginal theme…it’s been done, and better…you’ve fallen in love for the first time?that’s so banal, so cliched; can you imagineanyone wants to share that?you’ve been dumped forthe first time in…
