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?"

SELF-CENSORSHIP COMES FIRST

Charles Dickens burned all his letters(perhaps to hide his young mistress

Philip Larkin asked his mistress Monica Jones,to destroy his diaries

She asked another of his mistresses Betty Mackareth to do that task

So Larkin's private life ended up in a paper shredder

Nicolai Gogol turned to religion and burned Part Two of "Dead Souls"

which was based upon Dante-so we will never know his version of Purgatorio

Same with Mikhail Bulgarov,whose "Master and Marguerita"journals and diaries were destroyed by the Soviets,only being retrieved by finding copies later after his death.

When burnings are done by others,we are deprived of knowledge of the personal lives of writers ,as when Lord Byron's diaries were burned by friends wishing toi protect his reputation

However,when accidental damage is done,sometimes works can be re-written or salvaged

Although V.S Naipaul's journals and letters were accidentally torched by the storers

much of his other works survive,When Edna St.Vincent Millay's"Conversation at Midnight"

was burned in a hotel fire-she rewrote it.Same with Malcolm Lowry,who lost 'In Ballast to the White Sea"(his version of Dante's "Paradiso").His first novel "Ultramarine"was also stolen.

But Lowry was able to re-write "Under The Volcano",so his fame was secured.

Writers are often secretive of mistresses,drug habits ,possible scandals.

It took William Burroughs ,Chgarles Bukowsky and Henry Miller to sell their (male)private lives as literature.Same for Colette and Erica Jong and many feminist writers(for women)

Self-censorship is worst.Think of all i could not say...