Monday, May 23, 2016

A Tree For Gemma

a tree for Gemma

A sheer is drawn back
from an upstairs window
by a hand traversing an arc,
half unseen.
A man looks out and down,
catching my own eye-line ascending
from John's Square.
It's a momentary intersection
of private perspectives,
an unexpected transgression.
The white curtain immediately drops
to cover four panes of glass
in a Georgian frame.

Rain from a cloudless sky splatters
my shoulders
with formless damp shapes.

It's fifteen minutes to four on a Saturday afternoon.
I have travelled here
from limbo
on three successive trains.

Wedding bells sound from the cathedral
as young lads in suits down pints
at the Square Bar.

A crow with a crooked beak tilts
a sharp head at an uncomfortable angle,
from its dancing perch
on a weathered headstone.

A space is made for a young yew
in a protected corner
of the building.

These elements I gather
and inscribe
in a black notebook.
Words are a bond that bear witness
to this perfect and unforeseen
conjunction.

Here promises have been broken.
And here they will be renewed.



21 May 2016
Friday, May 20, 2016

The Marketing Meeting

Lord of the Fries

MARKETING PERSON A:
We need to attract a more literary market for our client's fried food products.

MARKETING PERSON B:
OK, well how about selling fries using a book title? Y'know, for potential customers who read. The client needs to attract more punters who sometimes might crack open a book. Like I hear some people do while on holiday.