Thursday 8 November 2018

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?

NOTHING WORSE THAN THE END OF POETS
SILENCE AFTERWARDS EPIC AS BOOKS
Unwritten.Unread.References to "Once
and "S/he WAS..as if the words without a speaker
are like lost children hiding in covers on bookshelves.
When voice stops,the world's vibration changes
You can trust the living poet because s/he is accountable to you
Once gone,a certain delicacy sugar-coats their lives
so all wild birds and sex stains are scrubbed clean
and antiseptic biographies omit more than they state.
Robbie Burns had hedgerow children.Coleridge on laudanum.
Baudelaire on opium.How many alcoholics does it take to write a poem?
Life is art chopped up for easy.digestion.We love truth more than poets.
Because they ask us to lie to ourselves.To "look @the bright side"
To stare @sunflowers in a war zone.To not see the blood in a poppy.
And that is why we mythologize them once departed-
we need someone to make us human enough
to be a cracked mirror for our fault lines...

We are very saddened by the news of the death of the poet and translator Alistair Elliot, aged 86. Alistair had lived in Newcastle for the past 50 years and was a much cherished figure in our writing and university communities here: https://www.bloodaxebooks.com/news?articleid=876


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