first meeting

first meeting
october 2014
based on Reiner Stach’s description of Franz Kafka’s first meeting with Felice Bauer (see page 100, ‘Kafka: The Decisive Years’ by Reiner Stach)

Franz (on the far left) in Vienna, 1913, with recently acquainted friends, Albert Ehrenstein, Otto Pick & Lise Weltsch

only a few words
yet enough to
put you out
to sea
silly boy
you liked her
to the ‘point
of sighing’
you spilled out
to others there
and jammed yourself
into the revolving
door along side
her to keep
up with
her in
laughter

silly boy
you were out
to sea in a
boat of
pail and
shovel

in case

in case
for Nomindari
14 march 2021

Nomindari’s son, Itgelguun, born 14 may

just in case
you hadn’t,
i asked your
mother to lend
you that strength
she used to
climb out of
a broken life,
until those
stairs, her
own body,
gave
out,
wherever
she stays
i know
you know
she sent you
blessings in
the deep gathering
of your breath
in muscle,
so your boy born
into night to bring
us day, in his

oranges and lemons

oranges and lemons
30 august 2014, bucklands beach

This still life was sourced from the daily painting blog ‘Postcard from Provence’ of British artist Julian Merrow-Smith.

‘oranges and lemons
say the bells of st clements,
oranges and lemons
say the bells of st clements
oranges and lemons…‘*
a low sung afternoon
i learnt that round
on that concrete driveway
now in rain a stone’s
quick throw from the sea
we held each other’s
hands as someone stood in
the middle between
our linked arms we swung
up and over them and
the bells rang in
our voices and
we never grew old
and we grew old