Catacaustic
for Tom Raworth
Twentieth Century Blues 73
Articulates 15
Some Words 2
Study 3
Numbers polished
petrol back to his room
changed continuously in the swell
clouds flickered the afternoon stalactites
a stone cracked open leaving
the docks
map a blank plan destroyed
50s flights of steps to work at two chairs
scribbled falls flickered to speak
near rushing table
remembered the last news
labelled a quick sketch
in the ejected
hold sides of wire tiles
between air spits
on the windows happy with lines
appeared to hold breathing
from the real shutters
switched the day’s dog shit off
as the cleaners run down the central hoardings
pick up endless photographs
of xerox stone hits roofs to shout down
bright red shoes
the shutters scrap of blue steps through his head
at the bottom of decay
dark grey calm eyes
flash the starts of ends
and adding in paper twists loud
real fingers approach
the last poem stated his method.
19 December 1999
The next poem, as it were, also tried to 'state' Tom's 'method', this time in a poem written I.M. See here.
The next poem, as it were, also tried to 'state' Tom's 'method', this time in a poem written I.M. See here.
Read 'On Tom
Raworth: The Speed of Writing and the Poetics of What is to One Side' here.
I have written critically of Tom's work a great deal but here's a relaxed take on his extraordinary 14 liners.
See also from my abandoned novel Thelma here which features Tom Raworth as a character,
I have written critically of Tom's work a great deal but here's a relaxed take on his extraordinary 14 liners.
See also from my abandoned novel Thelma here which features Tom Raworth as a character,
