Friday 6 April 2012

On The Road Again

If you were an Oxfam chugger, why would you try to stop someone struggling home (obviously, where else) with three unwieldy under-bed boxes?  Ask yourself that, Mr Oxfam Chugger. 

I've noticed today the smallest linguistic leap forward.  There were three occasions where I said something without the tortured process of thinking it out first.  This is a small but significant step.  In French I mean.  I can manage quite well in English.

Last night I thought I'd enter this poetry competition, only to write the poem ($2000 prize!) and then find I was ineligible due the slight oversight of my not living in the USA.  So bollocks, you lot can have it instead.  Forgive me if this isn't really your thing.  You had to write a poem with a theme of "The Road".  I did something a bit clever-cloggsy with a sonnet.  Probably wouldn't have won anyway as it's not very American. 


Road to Somewhere

We’ve been this way before.  Didn’t we meet
ourselves, sweating stones in the rough,
breaking rocks to cast before our feet,
as if the road were not already sharp enough?

You were wearing never quite enough
and the edges of your jacket didn’t meet.
We’ve been here, surely.  Feeling rough,
with last night’s rolling vodka at our feet.

The rocks are waiting for your naked feet
and when will we decide enough’s enough?
Perhaps I’ll learn to talk to those I meet
and sketch or throw a life, however rough.

And one rough road will not perturb these feet.
Maybe I will be enough for what they meet.


7 comments:

  1. That's really good. Do you write poetry much? Or was this simply for the competition. You ought to do more and think about a book.

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  2. I used to but haven't for some years. It comes and goes.

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  3. I love it. Powerful stuff... what a shame it cant be entered in the competition. look for one with a bigger prize !

    Very jealous of the linguistic leap. I must do little jumps first I suppose. Janice

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  4. It was a very small linguistic leap. More of a twitch.

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  5. Do you not know someone in the States who could submit it for you? Then if it won (and given that it's pretty damn good I'm sure it stands a chance) you could then split the prize!

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  6. I'd feel a bit uncomfortable about it. But the good thing (as far as I'm concerned) is it got me writing something. Other than this blog I mean.

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