Shearsman 51 Ralph Hawkins Four Poems Poem I have in mind here one of Brancusi’s birds (set the number of lines to sixteen include some performance indicators, some topical adjunct have a focus or a subject, some latin) (Mrs Pink hanging out the washing           sexual and economic matters           hose and pants) floating orthogonal lines creating tension within and between words the constant of what the written misses, evades, between the straight and the curved           (Betti’s flat stomach as Fumihiko below Fuji) the sensual abandon of shaped space, of passages (the footnote to line 10) and points of juncture give the poem a sense of fluidity and movement these curves one senses have left the realm of rational constructs. Unusual spaces (between letters, words, lines, stanzas And unexpected scenes                                    which lead us to and BLACK CYPRESSES with his hat on in her hat putting on her gloves to go out in the red of Jephtha’s dress in front of a donkey do a third girl at the feet of a girl who holds it reduce me to tears wears a short dress the thighs interlocking chalky the hills covered with the undulations of armies (Dec 2001) the readiness of a quiet town spared by war spared from war the immediate sound of guns from Colchester firing range   Some Signs I cannot be accused if being an innovator I shall prepare a great poem and my readers will gather in crowds what words there are in the rain Biddi and Betti doing the lottery, a swimming pool, a caravan Mrs Pink a holiday in the White House, re-do the garden but I’m letting the poem slip the forest echoed with voices the night lit up with bright lights (almost deranged) the saint stood before the crib and his heat overflowed how old I am now my wife and children poems written in riddles the efficacy of which is discussed in closed circles what is integrity and the hay from the crib was kept by the people afterwards cured sick animals and drove off pestilence.   Poesia Giorgione came from Castelfranco, northwest of Venice I have written to her two or three times She ignores me The third is artifice The fourth poesia                          my theory is that only the words                          in composition move both in                          literal and figurative combinations                          the overall movement is lateral Giorgione pushed three figures to the side, La Tempestà I scour the pages scroll the screen what offence have I committed softly spoken from the desert I read somewhere Renoir’s paintbrush was a penis which puts a lie to the words a certain horizontality “with this small painting visual poetry has been born” and it may well be possible to read Venice as Venus thereby setting up a depth of movement on a sonic level her red lips, her creamy body lies                    her left hand holding her genitals here alone you may think who your friends are and what do they mean contrapposto there is an S curve to the body of sensuous skin the stallion on the lid the rabbits in the field one reading of visual artifice is static although the eye and mind wander some people you like others you disregard I will write again, maybe, one day to the trees and sky at night   Poem Before I begin this poem I would like to discuss the question of poetry itself I can recall that in the ancient world children learned poetry at school it was ranked among the foremost of the liberal arts it was forbidden to teach it to slaves it was also held in renown by the Romans Catullus always seemed to have his cock out writing on the walls of temples overlooking the sea It’s a fact that many useful skills can be derived from poetry a helpful tool for memory for categorisation, patterning and decoration the intricate knowledge it can provide can be found in the fine details of citadels, walk and subways, rivers, canals, citadels and bridges (see over) (air traffic control would seem to be in need of some refinement) Indeed a reader who does not esteem this kind of poetry is obviously, politely, quite wrong-headed   copyright © Ralph Hawkins, 2002 Ralph Hawkins has published a number of volumes, including Tell Me No More and Tell Me (Grosseteste Review Books,1981), At Last Away (Galloping Dog Books, 1983), Pelt (Active in Airtime, 1999) and The Coiling Dragon / The Scarlet Bird / The White Tiger / A Blue & Misted Shroud (Equipage, 2000). Over the past two years he has published a series of collaborative books with Bob Cobbing, most recently The Next Morning and Everyday Pursuits (both Writers Forum, 2002). These collaborative books can be ordered directly from the publisher at 89a Petherton Road, London N5 2QT for £2.50 each including p&p. They can also be sourced through Peter Riley's mail-order service.