Man’s laughter & Simples

Poems odd & even

Touched Press, London, 1999. Stapled A5 booklet, 48 pages. Limited edition of 100 copies.

The ‘odd’ poems, Man’s laughter, are ludic and punning, running from back to front.
The ‘even’ poems, Simples, are lyric and straightforwarder. (A simple is the herbalist’s term for a remedy made of one plant.)
One of each appears below.

The Loves of Rick Lime

I’ll tell you in a metaphor
The only thing he met her for:
A bloom draws a bee
Sure as A-B-C
But he’ll take the rose for a whore.

Now I cannot go down.
You bear me up as a great ship.
However long the storm, day breaks on us.

We lie with our arms around
And sail down the river to sleep.
However long our day, night falls on us.

Birds in the dark make sound,
Living on promises to keep.
However long our night, dawn calls on us.

See a sample spread as a pdf (requires Acrobat Reader).

Go to the Trading Post to buy Man’s laughter & Simples

Home | Books | Music | Events | New work | Contact & ordering