NEW POEM – What is it and what could it be?

In the final drawer

On the morning of the clearance

Long undisturbed by mysteries

Hovering over soapboxes and items rearranged

A few now discovered things

All solid and haphazard

Like fingers pointing towards crevices

Away from discovery

Shaped and separate objects

With undisclosed stories

Looking for repurpose or conversation

Maybe even the happiest connection

Beauty – whatever that means.

© Steve O’Connor. 2014.

NaPoWriMo – Day 10. Poetry jingle

If only she knew

The no hope it brings

Buy nothing

 

If only he could

Acquire everything

Buy nothing

 

If only they might

Hear more cash tills sing

Buy nothing

 

If only ones wealth

Could form a steel ring

By nothing

 

©  Steve O’Connor.  2014

NaPoWriMo – Day 9. 5 song titles from a randomized list in a poem

Walking on thin ice – Yoko Ono; Come together – The Beatles; I should have known better – The Beatles; Totally confused – Beck; One of us cannot be wrong – Leonard Cohen.

 

I should have known better

To have gone walking on thin ice with you

And totally confused

Still, most days we fall and come together

Knowing one of us cannot be wrong.

 

©  Steve O’Connor.  2014

NaPoWriMo – Day 8. Rewrite a famous poem.

Not sure how famous my choice is, but I’ve gone for Flower Girl, Dublin by Paul Durcan (from Crazy About Women; ISBN 090316258X).  It’s a partial rewrite, probably more of an influence than anything.  Durcan’s poem is my favourite poem by anyone.  I’ve taken liberties!

 

Flourish

 

Cold day café

Steamy window gazing

Couples who’re grazing

Outside and in

Young woman, oblivious

Refastens her stocking

 

Flicks defiant hair

At her reflection

An unaware thunderbolt

Or unmindful reminder

My being unattached

And wanting; longing

 

Cups a flower

In betraying hands

Skin that whispers

Her true years

Eyes that speak

Of foreign lands

 

A bloom that asks for bus-fare home

 

©  Steve O’Connor.  2014

NaPoWriMo – Day 7. Love poem for an inanimate object.

Love poem for an inanimate object.

 

You’re fumblings at fifteen

Leather-jacketed cool,

Bedroom walls painted black

And marijuana flapjacks.

 

You’re shuffling to Love Cats

In sweaty-walled nightclubs.

The love that makes loins ache.

My mate’s favourite piss-take.

 

Hasty but no mistake,

Or blue turning tattoo

Bigots rush to call queer.

You’ve always had my ear

 

You’re the snarl and the sneer

For daddies’ princesses

“Stay away from that boy.”

Thirty years you’ve annoyed

 

The deserved annoyed.

All the gold that I own

Is punctured through my skin

Never.  Ever.  Leaving.

 

©  Steve O’Connor.  2014

NaPoWriMo – Day 6. NaPoWriMo inertia.

NaPoWriMo inertia.

 

A poet stares out towards Hembrigg Park

A large dog of indeterminate breed barks

Have you seen that new film about Noah’s ark?

It’s supposed to be shit.

Her who was Hermione is in it

Some people think she’s fit

But she does nowt for me

I’m holding out for Guardians of the Galaxy

Oh look, there goes a local taxi

Exploiting the rat run

It’s thirteen minutes to one

I’d better crack on

With this exercise

A smaller sized

Dog eyes

Up the larger dog and barks

Wot larks!

As a poet stares out towards Hembrigg Park

 

©  Steve O’Connor.  2014

NaPoWriMo – Day 5. Golden shovel

The poem below takes the text from Angela Smith’s “They Come Together”, from her excellent collection This is the Me I Would Be if I Dared (Puppywolf, 2011; ISBN 978-0-9565819-2-1), and applies the constraints of the day’s NaPoWriMo exercise to it.

 

Anxiety

 

Those only known as they,

Insect scuttle they come.

Coupling filth together

With a surety as

Light falls to ground at night.

Scurry like debris moves

When nests are disturbed into

A slow crawl till morning.

All inevitable.

 

©  Steve O’Connor.  2014

NaPoWriMo – Day 4. Collom lune.

Hollow vessels collide

Let spill their anxious cargo

With one kiss.

 

©  Steve O’Connor.  2014

NaPoWriMo – Day 3. Charm

Haven’t been near a computer all day, which is why I’m late posting this one.

The title is also the first line.

 

Bring me…

 

Curtains to shut out the light

The last t from my love’s good night

Pillows for a leaden head

The oblivion from recurrent zeds

A duvet over which to peep

And bring me one more hour of sleep!

 

©  Steve O’Connor.  2014

NaPoWriMo – Day 2. Myth.

I chose to be flexible and silly with today’s prompt and came up with my own myth/fantastic tale (of sorts).

 

Captain Can’t-Be-Arsed & the never-ending battle against…  thingy

 

What?  Eh?

You want me to?…

Really?

You really want to know about?…

Jesus.  Why would you…

Alright then, I suppose.

 

I was born light years away in the galaxy of…

Actually, you wouldn’t know it.

We looked like everyone does, pretty much.

Science and that.

I came here in a spaceship.

It was green, probably.

 

Hold on.

Is that your phone ringing?

It’s not your phone ringing?

Oh.  Oh, it must be mine.

Give us a sec, will you?…

…

…

…

…It was one of those PPI calls.

 

So why are you here then?

Green spacesh…

Oh yeah, green spaceship

That’s right.  Some people found me.

I was given a normal upbringing.

Then they died.

 

Yes, I do have a girlfriend.

She’s alright.

She used to get into scrapes.

Attention-seeking, that sort of thing.

One time I was somewhere else.

She doesn’t do it any more.

 

Though I suspect the real reason why you’re here is that you’re eager to know all about my sworn nemesis and our many, many exciting battles!…

Dave, his name was.

I battered him.

 

Which brings us to today, just about.

Can you smell that?

That’s my tea.

I’m having chips.

I like chips.

They’re my favourite.

 

And that’s the whole story.

Drop us an email

If you need to know anything else.

Or feel free to ring

You might get my voicemail

But most likely I’ll get back to you.

 

Nice meetin’ y…

Yeah.

Bye.

©  Steve O’Connor.  2014