What does it mean ? 

( drawing pictures at a poetry reading at the Linenhall )

​

What does it mean ? what does any of it mean ?

It is language , that’s for sure - the words are English words

Though some are tricky - taken one by one , they’re not unknown

The sentence structure’s generally not strange

With nouns and sometimes adjectives , and verbs

Conjunctions , little words like “and”and “but”

And perfect punctuation , I expect .

 

And yet - and yet - and yet -

 

What does it mean ?  what does any of it mean ?

 

I look around and people’s eyes are locked

forward as she chooses from her books

and then she’s starting reading and it makes no sense at all
….

Is this the feeling when you lose your mind ?

When suddenly your wife looks like a hat

- supposing that you have a wife of course

- or a hat -

 that's not a good example but you do know

what I mean - and language that you thought you understood

is now completely shattered , sinking sadly
in the mud

 

And disappearing wholly out of sight

Though from her tone of voice , it seems that she

in the complicated deepness of her mind

is tussling with hard and thorny things

completely imperceptible to me

 

Occasionally a bubble will rise up

and break the surface with a gentle pop

and for a moment there will be a glimpse

of something recognisable and then

like a hippo on the Serengeti plain

it sinks , invisible , back in the mud again

and yet - and yet - and yet - and yet - and yet -

 

And now and then a slime encrusted limb

will rise up - wave around a bit - and then

Clutch valiantly to haul the others out
 What does it mean ?  what does any of it mean ? 

 

And they emerge - all looking much the same .

then the poet wanders upwards to the Realms

of Speculative regions where the air is very thin -

Those high pastures - snowy peaks and soaring cliffs
with abstract thoughts connected in a way

that clearly makes some sort of sense to her .

​

I cannot follow up there but I’m glad there are these folks
and feel safer that they’re bravely taking on
these problems that I did not know were there

And she’s patrolling up there in the clouds

Adressing airy demons that fly right above our heads

And I’m somewhere back here at the Park n Ride

beside the benches , eating crisps and so

I’m glad I have a biro and some paper and can draw

I look down and find that I have drawn some birds

​

And one’s a sort of dove with winding leaves

That curl around as in a vegetable dream

Of sea squirts

waves and plankton in the tide

And also , underneath them , is a swift

 

Mouth open - with its tongue extruding - in mid scream

 

 

::::::::::::::::  A.G. - on the Occasion of the Catherine Walsh reading at the Linenhall  24/05/2019  …  examples HERE and HERE