THOM THE WORLD POET: The Daily Poem

Rob Ayling, yer Gonzo Grande Fromage, writes:

"Thom the World poet is an old mate of mine from way back in my history. Even pre-dating Voiceprint, when I was running "Otter Songs" and Thom's poetry tapes and guest appearances with Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth and Mother Gong are well known and highly regarded. It just felt right to include a daily poem from Thom on our Gonzo blog and when I approached him to do so, he replied within seconds!!! Thom is a great talent and just wants to spread poetry, light and positive energy across the globe. If we at Gonzo can help him do that - why not?

I WAS COMING ACROSS THE CANADIAN BORDER INTO AMERICA

THERE WAS A LONG LINE OF CARS WAITING

I was asked by the Border Patrol Officer-

"What was your purpose in visiting Canada?"

(Me)..."poetry".(Him)"WHAT WAS THAT?"(Me)-POETRY!

(We had just done a reading @Windsor,Ontario and were returning...

'(Him) DID YOU SAY YOU WERE A ..POET?)(Me)..yes.(Him)-WHAT?(Me ..YES!

Pause.Significant pause.He looks at my passport,then looks at me.

"I DO POETRY ,TOO!(he smiles)..and then we started talking

Time meant 100 cars had to wait for this conversation to conclude

He did not care.How often does a lonely Border Guard get to talk poetry with a stranger/an Alien

An Austral Alien ..?On that day,this was our most astonishing ..Border Crossing