Poem for the Day: The Art of Restoration

The Art of Restoration

               First be a magnificent artist and then you can do whatever, but the art must be
                                                                                    first.      (Francisco de Goya)

I have three man-sheds of Beetle parts

to sell to strangers, or v-dub lovers.

There is a danger that I suspect will happen,

my customers will no longer need: a quarter window,

a vintage ashtray, a 70s lid or Porche wheels,

and I am left with what may befall me

   - a load of junk.

Then something occurs in life, that you

do not expect. A young father buys a mudguard,

takes it home with two front lights.  I pocket

the cash, reaching out to his fingers as if

we have like-minded hands. I had heard it all before,

I lived with one, men who radiate that glow

of restoration, but barely get things done.

How wrong I was, to think that this young

man, as artist,  as influence to his son,

would not finish a project of a Beetle lamp.

So, there it sits in its separateness,

still, upright, neat in a corner window,

balanced on a block, polished, grinded,

painted somehow to look so perfect

in its skin, its dim lighting.

In the darkness of a room, he tells me,

the lamp shines low beam to high, and apart

from its other deft, intrinsic work, I imagine

that sometime late at night, when all is quiet,

it will rattle, growl, twist without inhibition,

purr - just a little - towards the brightness

of an open road.

 

Acknowledgement:  It gives me great pleasure to write this poem (although, only a first draft). However, my congratulations go to Adam Harris, the artist, who has not only restored a Beetle fender into a lamp, but has restored my faith in people who get things done!  He managed this in only a few weeks. Adam is also a prize winner and I wish him well if he enters his work in an award. Hopefully, and quite soon I will post a link to the West Australian Volkswagen Club's newsletter, as we are expecting to read an article about Adam's great piece of work.

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Poem for the Day: Monarchs & Homeric Thought (from Miniscule) © now published!

Monarchs & Homeric Thought

There are Monarchs roaming the eastern-side of the Rockies. Some are about to land on milkweed in Texas, or rest on flower nectar in the fields of Oklahoma. Monarchs often pose their wings on vines, flapping out their canopy of orange, and black veins; their six legs clinging to the crown of prairie flowers. Monarchs are simply the supreme aviators of the Nymphalidae world, flying through rain, the deep canyons of Mexico.They adapt their technique of flight as mimicry, or dread, fearing a disappearance of milkweed as chain saws rip through the Amazon. And so aligning their paths with the earth's magnetic field, they rouse themselves to birth new Monarchs in Hawaii, Australia or New Zealand (where milkweed grows). One is in awe of this butterfly, the many naturalists, and all the universities who have brought you this as you make a note to self that forethought is the electricity of learning. One butterfly, especially named Danaus after the great-great-granddaughter of Zeus, flew to him as a shower of golden petals. Imagine the gorgeous trail of her bright orange gown, dusting him down with its edges of velvet and accent of pearls. Zeus more likely, at that very moment, and distracted by the calm landing of her appearance, possibly thought about the hopelessness of war, the calamity of another god's ruin, or his position on the throne, causing him sleepless nights. Vexation brought to a halt in the beautiful flutter of golden wings. And what of Homer? In The Odyssey he speaks of black wine, the sky as bronze, a wine-dark sea, and darkening Cyclops' purple sheep. And the most incredible thing that you could imagine is, that in 1100 BC, he saw the colours of fruits and berries in the palette of fields and trees, especially the colour of a bee's hard labour in a Monarch's wing.

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Review of Published to Public - A Reading at the Subiaco Library

Review of Published to Public - Monday 10th March, 2014
About 70 people graced the ground floor of the Subiaco Library on Monday 10th March at 6pm. Subiaco residents and others were invited to the forum, being enticed with wine and pizza. The program, Published to Public was hosted by the library in an initiative to bring local writers to the fore in their Arts & Culture program. Eight writers including myself, Sarah Evans, Vivienne Glance, Marguerite Henshaw, Josette Van Der Burg, Peter Sellick, Danielle Weile, and Glennys Marsdon each showcased their work on eight separate tables where members of the public could initially mingle around and ask questions of the writers.  What followed was then a presentation by each writer on how they got started with writing. I was able to read my two grandmother poems, explaining to the audience that my poetry was narrative poetry, and that I was an exponent of the accessible. All in all, the night was very successful and enjoyable, having sold three of my new collection "of Arc & Shadow". The report back from the library was that with excellent feedback they will host many more of these local authors' events.

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