Works and Days of Division – 29 poems by Martyn Crucefix
Drawing on two disparate sources, this sequence of mongrel-bred poems has been written to respond to the historical moment in this most disunited kingdom. Hesiod’s Works and Days – probably the oldest poem in the Western canon – is a poem driven by a dispute between brothers. The so-called vacana poems originate in the bhakti religious protest movements in 10-12th century India. Through plain language, repetition and refrain, they offer praise to the god, Siva, though they also express personal anger, puzzlement, even despair. Dear reader – if you like what you find here, please share the poems as widely as you can (no copyright restrictions). Or follow this blog for future postings. Bridges need building.
Saturday 2.03.2019
‘before the doctor asks to examine my water’
to the Rt. Hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell
before the doctor asks to examine my water
before I can piss in the bottle provided
before my skin goes up in flames
before I can’t turn
over in bed
before the frequently inexplicable dizzy spells
before the morning after
the drunken night before
before the chocolateicecreamhalfpoundofbutter binge
sluiced into the toilet
before the drag and ache of the cast iron anchor
from left nipple to upper left arm
before the silica crystals
hatched in my hip
before the on-set of my swollen gouty foot
before my male companion with his longer stride
makes it impossible
for me to keep up with him
before the pavement leaps up towards me
makes sickening contact with my right cheek
before the paramedics in their green uniforms
before I am lifted bodily into the air
like fallen stock
I remember
what I briefly forgot to remember of course
all the bridges are down
Martyn Crucefix 