Thursday, August 16, 2012

Carrion Comfort by Gerard Manley Hopkins


Not, I'll not, carrion comfort, Despair, not feast on thee;
Not untwist — slack they may be — these last strands of man
In me ór, most weary, cry I can no more. I can;
Can something, hope, wish day come, not choose not to be.
But ah, but O thou terrible, why wouldst thou rude on me
Thy wring-world right foot rock? lay a lionlimb against me? scan
With darksome devouring eyes my bruisèd bones? and fan,
O in turns of tempest, me heaped there; me frantic to avoid thee and flee?

   Why? That my chaff might fly; my grain lie, sheer and clear.
Nay in all that toil, that coil, since (seems) I kissed the rod,
Hand rather, my heart lo! lapped strength, stole joy, would laugh, chéer.
Cheer whom though? the hero whose heaven-handling flung me, fóot tród
Me? or me that fought him? O which one? is it each one? That night, that year
Of now done darkness I wretch lay wrestling with (my God!) my God.

(insert, separate, a post-script to a letter of love)
Purify the pain, O, that leads to strength 
For I know you, Lover, Master,
Not a word is written in your plan
That cannot turn to Good.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

He who won my soul

Weep, weep, O my soul
For the One who gave His best
Forswearing all the rest
So that He could be with you
Forever and again.

"O all ye who passe by, behold and see;
Man stole the fruit, but I must climb the tree;
The tree of life to all, but only me:
                                                      Was ever grief like mine?"

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Home

I was the last one to leave, at midnight.
A sigh, a bow, a goodbye.
Closing the day, closing the door,
I walked down the corridor, and he said
"Get home safely."

It meant so much -
take care, be alert,
you are precious, it's not your time yet,
your journey's still before you;
yet when it is, I will bring you home.

Thank you, my Lord.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

The way to you


(poster colour on canvas, 30/01/12)

There's a road inside your heart made just for you
Don't be scared, take your first step and then take two
Pain will come but I believe you can endure
Further down that road, just trust a little more



Holding you, holding you, it's in you river flows in you
Slow it down, slow it down, that river flows inside me too
Holding you, holding you, it's in you river flows in you
Waiting now, waiting now, just be strong, you will make it through

~Yiruma's River Flows in You (translated)

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Joycianism

Autonomy requires the utmost care, to preserve a state of equilibrium - push/pull - a leader's direction against the strength of the individual in order to garner votes en masse in a wave of constructive force. Carve the ivory into a concave, smoothen the backlash of rounded wood, particle up-particle down.

Break break break but for the echo of a human voice

I think, therefore I am Gertrude Stein.

Friday, December 30, 2011

An dullouch

Quaver, quiver,
Dull shiver
Blunt pin
On dead skin
But take me whole
Spirit, body, soul
The pain is a mould
Shaping misshapen fold

Friday, September 02, 2011

Else the Kells

You have to stop it
Stop wishing you were someone else
Had his life his heart
His mind his soul
'Cos no one else can be like you
(Here I'm thinking
Who would wanna be?)