#UKIsolatepoem 29
ZOOM! by Simon Armitage
It begins as a house, an end terrace
in this case
but it will not stop there. Soon it is
an avenue
which cambers arrogantly past the Mechanics' Institute,
turns left
at the main road without even looking
1/?
ZOOM! by Simon Armitage
It begins as a house, an end terrace
in this case
but it will not stop there. Soon it is
an avenue
which cambers arrogantly past the Mechanics' Institute,
turns left
at the main road without even looking
1/?
and quickly it is
a town with all four major clearing banks,
a daily paper
and a football team pushing for promotion.
On it goes, oblivious of the Planning Acts,
the green belts,
and before we know it it is out of our hands:
city, nation,
2/?
a town with all four major clearing banks,
a daily paper
and a football team pushing for promotion.
On it goes, oblivious of the Planning Acts,
the green belts,
and before we know it it is out of our hands:
city, nation,
2/?
hemisphere, universe, hammering out in all directions
until suddenly,
mercifully, it is drawn aside through the eye
of a black hole
and bulleted into a neighbouring galaxy, emerging
smaller and smoother
than a billiard ball but weighing more than Saturn.
3/?
until suddenly,
mercifully, it is drawn aside through the eye
of a black hole
and bulleted into a neighbouring galaxy, emerging
smaller and smoother
than a billiard ball but weighing more than Saturn.
3/?
People stop me in the street, badger me
in the check-out queue
and ask "What is this, this that is so small
and so very smooth
but whose mass is greater than the ringed planet?"
It's just words
I assure them. But they will not have it.
THE END
in the check-out queue
and ask "What is this, this that is so small
and so very smooth
but whose mass is greater than the ringed planet?"
It's just words
I assure them. But they will not have it.
THE END
#UKIsolatepoem 30
GIFT by Czeslaw Milosz
A day so happy.
Fog lifted early. I worked in the garden.
Hummingbirds were stopping over the honeysuckle flowers.
There was no thing on earth I wanted to possess.
I knew no one worth my envying him.
1/2
GIFT by Czeslaw Milosz
A day so happy.
Fog lifted early. I worked in the garden.
Hummingbirds were stopping over the honeysuckle flowers.
There was no thing on earth I wanted to possess.
I knew no one worth my envying him.
1/2
Whatever evil I had suffered, I forgot.
To think that once I was the same man did not embarrass me.
In my body I felt no pain.
When straightening up, I saw blue sea and sails.
THE END
To think that once I was the same man did not embarrass me.
In my body I felt no pain.
When straightening up, I saw blue sea and sails.
THE END
#UKIsolatepoem 31
“Leaving Early” by Leanne O’Sullivan
My Love,
tonight Fionnuala is your nurse.
You’ll hear her voice sing-song around the ward
lifting a wing at the shore of your darkness.
1/3
“Leaving Early” by Leanne O’Sullivan
My Love,
tonight Fionnuala is your nurse.
You’ll hear her voice sing-song around the ward
lifting a wing at the shore of your darkness.
1/3
I heard that, in another life, she too journeyed
through a storm, a kind of curse, with the ocean
rising darkly around her, fierce with cold,
and no resting place, only the frozen
rocks that tore her feet, the light on her shoulders.
2/3
through a storm, a kind of curse, with the ocean
rising darkly around her, fierce with cold,
and no resting place, only the frozen
rocks that tore her feet, the light on her shoulders.
2/3
And no cure there but to wait it out.
If, while I’m gone, your fever comes down —
if the small, salt-laden shapes of her song
appear to you as a first glimmer of earth-light,
follow the sweet, hopeful voice of that landing.
She will keep you safe beneath her wing.
THE END
If, while I’m gone, your fever comes down —
if the small, salt-laden shapes of her song
appear to you as a first glimmer of earth-light,
follow the sweet, hopeful voice of that landing.
She will keep you safe beneath her wing.
THE END
#UKIsolatepoem 32
“Gravy” by Raymond Carver
No other word will do. For that’s what it was.
Gravy.
Gravy, these past ten years.
Alive, sober, working, loving, and
being loved by a good woman. Eleven years
ago he was told he had six months to live
at the rate he was going.
1/3
“Gravy” by Raymond Carver
No other word will do. For that’s what it was.
Gravy.
Gravy, these past ten years.
Alive, sober, working, loving, and
being loved by a good woman. Eleven years
ago he was told he had six months to live
at the rate he was going.
1/3
And he was going
nowhere but down. So he changed his ways
somehow. He quit drinking! And the rest?
After that it was all gravy, every minute
of it, up to and including when he was told about,
well, some things that were breaking down and
building up inside his head.
2/3
nowhere but down. So he changed his ways
somehow. He quit drinking! And the rest?
After that it was all gravy, every minute
of it, up to and including when he was told about,
well, some things that were breaking down and
building up inside his head.
2/3
“Don’t weep for me,”
he said to his friends. “I’m a lucky man.
I’ve had ten years longer than I or anyone
expected. Pure Gravy. And don’t forget it.
THE END
he said to his friends. “I’m a lucky man.
I’ve had ten years longer than I or anyone
expected. Pure Gravy. And don’t forget it.
THE END
#UKIsolatepoem 33
*This is a translation of a poem in Arabic by Fouad Mohammad Fouad who is a Syrian doctor and poet. He was displaced from his home in Aleppo; members of his family are missing or killed. Now lives in Lebanon, where there are more than a million Syrian refugees*
*This is a translation of a poem in Arabic by Fouad Mohammad Fouad who is a Syrian doctor and poet. He was displaced from his home in Aleppo; members of his family are missing or killed. Now lives in Lebanon, where there are more than a million Syrian refugees*
The King
I am the Lord of the room.
My crown is morning dust,
the floor my castle.
I am the Lord of the room,
The Bestower, beside me books are useless
A Corinthian Column, unlike the hat rack.
The Ever-lasting, like damp on the wall.
2/?
I am the Lord of the room.
My crown is morning dust,
the floor my castle.
I am the Lord of the room,
The Bestower, beside me books are useless
A Corinthian Column, unlike the hat rack.
The Ever-lasting, like damp on the wall.
2/?
Windows are my days,
a stool my three-legged horse.
I am the King of Kings,
of nothing but the table,
the notebooks on the table,
the fingers creeping into this softness.
Of nothing but what belongs to me:
3/?
a stool my three-legged horse.
I am the King of Kings,
of nothing but the table,
the notebooks on the table,
the fingers creeping into this softness.
Of nothing but what belongs to me:
3/?
A King of doors and wrinkled clothes,
of pictures hanging crooked on the wall.
A King of words that flitter
in space like flies.
The King of cold
and savage separation
King of croup
and rotten teeth
4/5
of pictures hanging crooked on the wall.
A King of words that flitter
in space like flies.
The King of cold
and savage separation
King of croup
and rotten teeth
4/5
A King in frozen time
and sometimes fallen.
Pallid King
Nothing King
I, King
THE END
and sometimes fallen.
Pallid King
Nothing King
I, King
THE END
#UKIsolatepoem 34
Matilda Who Told Lies, And Was Burned To Death
by Hilaire Belloc
Matilda told such Dreadful Lies,
It made one Gasp and Stretch one's Eyes;
Her Aunt, who, from her Earliest Youth,
Had kept a Strict Regard for Truth,
Attempted to Believe Matilda:
1/?
Matilda Who Told Lies, And Was Burned To Death
by Hilaire Belloc
Matilda told such Dreadful Lies,
It made one Gasp and Stretch one's Eyes;
Her Aunt, who, from her Earliest Youth,
Had kept a Strict Regard for Truth,
Attempted to Believe Matilda:
1/?
The effort very nearly killed her,
And would have done so, had not She
Discovered this Infirmity.
For once, towards the Close of Day,
Matilda, growing tired of play,
And finding she was left alone,
Went tiptoe to the Telephone
And summoned the Immediate Aid
2/?
And would have done so, had not She
Discovered this Infirmity.
For once, towards the Close of Day,
Matilda, growing tired of play,
And finding she was left alone,
Went tiptoe to the Telephone
And summoned the Immediate Aid
2/?
Of London's Noble Fire-Brigade.
Within an hour the Gallant Band
Were pouring in on every hand,
From Putney, Hackney Downs, and Bow.
With Courage high and Hearts a-glow,
They galloped, roaring through the Town,
'Matilda's House is Burning Down! '
3/?
Within an hour the Gallant Band
Were pouring in on every hand,
From Putney, Hackney Downs, and Bow.
With Courage high and Hearts a-glow,
They galloped, roaring through the Town,
'Matilda's House is Burning Down! '
3/?
Inspired by British Cheers and Loud
Proceeding from the Frenzied Crowd,
They ran their ladders through a score
Of windows on the Ball Room Floor;
And took Peculiar Pains to Souse
The Pictures up and down the House,
Until Matilda's Aunt succeeded
4/?
Proceeding from the Frenzied Crowd,
They ran their ladders through a score
Of windows on the Ball Room Floor;
And took Peculiar Pains to Souse
The Pictures up and down the House,
Until Matilda's Aunt succeeded
4/?
In showing them they were not needed;
And even then she had to pay
To get the Men to go away,
It happened that a few Weeks later
Her Aunt was off to the Theatre
To see that Interesting Play
The Second Mrs. Tanqueray.
She had refused to take her Niece
5/?
And even then she had to pay
To get the Men to go away,
It happened that a few Weeks later
Her Aunt was off to the Theatre
To see that Interesting Play
The Second Mrs. Tanqueray.
She had refused to take her Niece
5/?
To hear this Entertaining Piece:
A Deprivation Just and Wise
To Punish her for Telling Lies.
That Night a Fire did break out-
You should have heard Matilda Shout!
You should have heard her Scream and Bawl,
And throw the window up and call
To People passing in the Street-
6/?
A Deprivation Just and Wise
To Punish her for Telling Lies.
That Night a Fire did break out-
You should have heard Matilda Shout!
You should have heard her Scream and Bawl,
And throw the window up and call
To People passing in the Street-
6/?
(The rapidly increasing Heat
Encouraging her to obtain
Their confidence) - but all in vain!
For every time she shouted 'Fire! '
They only answered 'Little Liar! '
And therefore when her Aunt returned,
Matilda, and the House, were Burned.
THE END
IMO this poem is important NOW
Encouraging her to obtain
Their confidence) - but all in vain!
For every time she shouted 'Fire! '
They only answered 'Little Liar! '
And therefore when her Aunt returned,
Matilda, and the House, were Burned.
THE END
IMO this poem is important NOW
#UKIsolatepoem 35
*This poem is by @ruthpadel from her new book Beethoven Variations. It is, I think, about Beethoven's approaching deafness. It could also be about warnings of the approaching Coronavirus (or, indeed, of the approaching Climate Crisis)*
*This poem is by @ruthpadel from her new book Beethoven Variations. It is, I think, about Beethoven's approaching deafness. It could also be about warnings of the approaching Coronavirus (or, indeed, of the approaching Climate Crisis)*
EARTHQUAKE by Ruth Padel
A tremblor, a slow-slip earthquake,
an undetectable assault
on the ground beneath your feet.
You can't feel it. No one knows
a tectonic plate
is sliding miles below along a fault.
THE END
A tremblor, a slow-slip earthquake,
an undetectable assault
on the ground beneath your feet.
You can't feel it. No one knows
a tectonic plate
is sliding miles below along a fault.
THE END
#UKIsolatepoem 36
A haiku by Paul Ver Bruggen
Snow falls like blossom.
Earth tilts. Blossom falls like snow.
All sorrows will pass.
A haiku by Paul Ver Bruggen
Snow falls like blossom.
Earth tilts. Blossom falls like snow.
All sorrows will pass.
#UKIsolatepoem 37
To be great, be whole: nothing that's you
Should you exaggerate or exclude.
In each thing, be all. Give all you are
In the least you ever do.
The whole moon, because it rides so high,
Is reflected in each pool.
- Fernando Pessoa
To be great, be whole: nothing that's you
Should you exaggerate or exclude.
In each thing, be all. Give all you are
In the least you ever do.
The whole moon, because it rides so high,
Is reflected in each pool.
- Fernando Pessoa
#UKIsolatepoem 38
FROM The Wasteland, T S Eliot
April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
Winter kept us warm, covering
Earth in forgetful snow, feeding
A little life with dried tubers
1/?
FROM The Wasteland, T S Eliot
April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
Winter kept us warm, covering
Earth in forgetful snow, feeding
A little life with dried tubers
1/?
Summer surprised us, coming over the Starnbergersee
With a shower of rain; we stopped in the colonnade,
And went on in sunlight, into the Hofgarten,
And drank coffee, and talked for an hour.
Bin gar keine Russin, stamm’ aus Litauen, echt deutsch.
And when we were children,
2/?
With a shower of rain; we stopped in the colonnade,
And went on in sunlight, into the Hofgarten,
And drank coffee, and talked for an hour.
Bin gar keine Russin, stamm’ aus Litauen, echt deutsch.
And when we were children,
2/?
staying at the arch-duke’s,
My cousin’s, he took me out on a sled,
And I was frightened. He said, Marie,
Marie, hold on tight. And down we went.
In the mountains, there you feel free.
I read, much of the night, and go south in the winter.
THE END OF EXTRACT
My cousin’s, he took me out on a sled,
And I was frightened. He said, Marie,
Marie, hold on tight. And down we went.
In the mountains, there you feel free.
I read, much of the night, and go south in the winter.
THE END OF EXTRACT
#UKIsolatepoem 39
IF you enjoy these poems, pls support, if u can, a brilliant charity for refugees #SalusburyWorld4Refugees
tinyurl.com/sw4refugees
IF - instead of being locked down, you HAD to flee home as refugees do, what ONE item would you grab?
Here's BEETHOVEN'S answer!
IF you enjoy these poems, pls support, if u can, a brilliant charity for refugees #SalusburyWorld4Refugees
tinyurl.com/sw4refugees
IF - instead of being locked down, you HAD to flee home as refugees do, what ONE item would you grab?
Here's BEETHOVEN'S answer!
IDEALISING THE UNATTAINABLE CAN BEGIN VERY EARLY
by @ruthpadel, Beethoven Variations
It's not the face that stays most truly naked
through a life. What jumps out from this court portrait
of your Flemish grandfather, whose name you bear -
the painting you will lash to a wagon
2/?
by @ruthpadel, Beethoven Variations
It's not the face that stays most truly naked
through a life. What jumps out from this court portrait
of your Flemish grandfather, whose name you bear -
the painting you will lash to a wagon
2/?
every time you move
along with your manuscripts, piano, single bed
and writing-desk, all rumbling uncovered through city air
furred with floating particles of horse-dung -
is this V of bare chest, the open shirt
3/?
along with your manuscripts, piano, single bed
and writing-desk, all rumbling uncovered through city air
furred with floating particles of horse-dung -
is this V of bare chest, the open shirt
3/?
within the formal robes, the one soft patch of skin
where he might have cradled you. In all the debris
everywhere you live, jugs of red wine
always on the go, the fevers, smells and flies,
broken love-hopes, slamming doors,
you will find your heart shored up
by
4/5
where he might have cradled you. In all the debris
everywhere you live, jugs of red wine
always on the go, the fevers, smells and flies,
broken love-hopes, slamming doors,
you will find your heart shored up
by
4/5
meeting the trapped brilliance of his eyes.
THE END
THE END
#UKIsolatepoem 40
A poem by Maori Ngāti Hine/Ngāpuhi poet Nadine Anne Hura, which went viral after being tweeted by Jacinda Ardern
Rest now, e Papatūānuku
Breathe easy and settle
Right here where you are
We’ll not move upon you
For awhile
We’ll stop, we’ll cease
1/?
A poem by Maori Ngāti Hine/Ngāpuhi poet Nadine Anne Hura, which went viral after being tweeted by Jacinda Ardern
Rest now, e Papatūānuku
Breathe easy and settle
Right here where you are
We’ll not move upon you
For awhile
We’ll stop, we’ll cease
1/?
We’ll slow down and stay home
Draw each other close and be kind
Kinder than we’ve ever been.
I wish we could say we were doing it for you
as much as ourselves
But hei aha
We’re doing it anyway
It’s right. It’s time.
Time to return
Time to remember
Time to listen and forgive
2/?
Draw each other close and be kind
Kinder than we’ve ever been.
I wish we could say we were doing it for you
as much as ourselves
But hei aha
We’re doing it anyway
It’s right. It’s time.
Time to return
Time to remember
Time to listen and forgive
2/?
Time to withhold judgment
Time to cry
Time to think
About others
Remove our shoes
Press hands to soil
Sift grains between fingers
🍃 Gentle palms
Time to plant
Time to wait
Time to notice
To whom we belong
For now it’s just you
And the wind
3/?
Time to cry
Time to think
About others
Remove our shoes
Press hands to soil
Sift grains between fingers
🍃 Gentle palms
Time to plant
Time to wait
Time to notice
To whom we belong
For now it’s just you
And the wind
3/?
And the forests and the oceans and the sky full of rain
Finally, it’s raining!
Ka turuturu te wai kamo o Rangi ki runga i a koe
Embrace it
This sacrifice of solitude we have carved out for you
He iti noaiho - a small offering
People always said it wasn’t possible
4/?
Finally, it’s raining!
Ka turuturu te wai kamo o Rangi ki runga i a koe
Embrace it
This sacrifice of solitude we have carved out for you
He iti noaiho - a small offering
People always said it wasn’t possible
4/?
To ground flights and stay home and stop our habits of consumption
But it was
It always was.
We were just afraid of how much it was going to hurt
- and it IS hurting and it will hurt and continue to hurt
But not as much as you have been hurt.
So be still now
5/?
But it was
It always was.
We were just afraid of how much it was going to hurt
- and it IS hurting and it will hurt and continue to hurt
But not as much as you have been hurt.
So be still now
5/?
Wrap your hills around our absence
Loosen the concrete belt cinched tight at your waist
Rest.
Breathe.
Recover.
Heal -
And we will do the same.
THE END
Loosen the concrete belt cinched tight at your waist
Rest.
Breathe.
Recover.
Heal -
And we will do the same.
THE END
#UKIsolatepoem 41
CAST ALL YOUR VOTES FOR DANCING by the great 14thC Persian poet Hafiz
I know the voice of depression
Still calls to you.
I know those habits that can ruin your life
Still send their invitations.
But you are with the Friend now
And look so much stronger.
1/?
CAST ALL YOUR VOTES FOR DANCING by the great 14thC Persian poet Hafiz
I know the voice of depression
Still calls to you.
I know those habits that can ruin your life
Still send their invitations.
But you are with the Friend now
And look so much stronger.
1/?
You can stay that way
And even bloom!
Keep squeezing drops of the Sun
From your prayers and works and music
And from your companions' beautiful laughter
Keep squeezing drops of the Sun
From the sacred hands and glance of your Beloved
And, my dear,
2/?
And even bloom!
Keep squeezing drops of the Sun
From your prayers and works and music
And from your companions' beautiful laughter
Keep squeezing drops of the Sun
From the sacred hands and glance of your Beloved
And, my dear,
2/?
From the most insignificant movements
Of your own holy body.
Learn to recognize the counterfeit coins
That may buy you just a moment of pleasure
But then drag you for days
Like a broken man
Behind a farting camel.
3/?
Of your own holy body.
Learn to recognize the counterfeit coins
That may buy you just a moment of pleasure
But then drag you for days
Like a broken man
Behind a farting camel.
3/?
You are with the Friend now.
Learn what actions of yours delight Him,
What actions of yours bring freedom
And Love.
Whenever you say God's name, dear pilgrim,
My ears wish my head was missing
So they could finally kiss each other
And applaud all your nourishing wisdom!
4/?
Learn what actions of yours delight Him,
What actions of yours bring freedom
And Love.
Whenever you say God's name, dear pilgrim,
My ears wish my head was missing
So they could finally kiss each other
And applaud all your nourishing wisdom!
4/?
O keep squeezing drops of the Sun
From your prayers and work and music
And from your companions' beautiful laughter
And from the most insignificant movements
Of your own holy body.
Now, sweet one,
Be wise.
Cast all your votes for Dancing!
THE END
From your prayers and work and music
And from your companions' beautiful laughter
And from the most insignificant movements
Of your own holy body.
Now, sweet one,
Be wise.
Cast all your votes for Dancing!
THE END
#UKIsolatepoem 42
In 1592 and 1593, London was struck by the plague.
This poem was written by Thomas Nashe (1567-1601)
1/?
In 1592 and 1593, London was struck by the plague.
This poem was written by Thomas Nashe (1567-1601)
1/?
A LITANY in TIME of PLAGUE
Adieu, farewell, earth's bliss;
This world uncertain is;
Fond are life's lustful joys;
Death proves them all but toys;
None from his darts can fly;
I am sick, I must die.
Lord, have mercy on us!
2/?
Adieu, farewell, earth's bliss;
This world uncertain is;
Fond are life's lustful joys;
Death proves them all but toys;
None from his darts can fly;
I am sick, I must die.
Lord, have mercy on us!
2/?
Rich men, trust not in wealth,
Gold cannot buy you health;
Physic himself must fade.
All things to end are made,
The plague full swift goes by;
I am sick, I must die.
Lord, have mercy on us!
3/?
Gold cannot buy you health;
Physic himself must fade.
All things to end are made,
The plague full swift goes by;
I am sick, I must die.
Lord, have mercy on us!
3/?
Beauty is but a flower
Which wrinkles will devour;
Brightness falls from the air;
Queens have died young and fair;
Dust hath closed Helen's eye.
I am sick, I must die.
Lord, have mercy on us!
4/?
Which wrinkles will devour;
Brightness falls from the air;
Queens have died young and fair;
Dust hath closed Helen's eye.
I am sick, I must die.
Lord, have mercy on us!
4/?
Strength stoops unto the grave,
Worms feed on Hector brave;
Swords may not fight with fate,
Earth still holds open her gate.
"Come, come!" the bells do cry.
I am sick, I must die.
Lord, have mercy on us!
5/?
Worms feed on Hector brave;
Swords may not fight with fate,
Earth still holds open her gate.
"Come, come!" the bells do cry.
I am sick, I must die.
Lord, have mercy on us!
5/?
Wit with his wantonness
Tasteth death's bitterness;
Hell's executioner
Hath no ears for to hear
What vain art can reply.
I am sick, I must die.
Lord, have mercy on us!
6/?
Tasteth death's bitterness;
Hell's executioner
Hath no ears for to hear
What vain art can reply.
I am sick, I must die.
Lord, have mercy on us!
6/?
Haste, therefore, each degree,
To welcome destiny;
Heaven is our heritage,
Earth but a player's stage;
Mount we unto the sky.
I am sick, I must die.
Lord, have mercy on us!
THE END
To welcome destiny;
Heaven is our heritage,
Earth but a player's stage;
Mount we unto the sky.
I am sick, I must die.
Lord, have mercy on us!
THE END
