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.
Monday 18.03.2019
‘O twitterstorm’
after Mahadeviyakka
O twitterstorm
of geese across the placid lake
beside the new-varnished boats for hire by the hour
don’t you know
he would watch for chalky smudges in the blue sky
beyond the aerials
above the broken rooftiles don’t you know
those revelatory diaries in the attic undiscovered
each remembering
more than he could recall don’t you know
above the plaster-boarded ceiling the light rose
above the crackling nylon sheets
above her weary limbs don’t you know
above her slack-muscled limbs wrapped in his arms
the local station playing
all the bridges down
Martyn Crucefix 