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donall-dempseyPoems
"...THE POSSIBILITY THAT HAS BEEN OVERLOOKED IS THE FUTURE..." ( for Michael Hartnett ) found penny in a puddle year of my birth I pocket it as the poet passes cap in hand this brilliant man sculpted from sadness loneliness falling like rain he goes to greet me knowing he knows me but my face escapes him I only ever meet him when the drink has taken him prisoner inside his head haiku breed "..like maggots!" he says..."...like maggots!" "I don't want your company or your pity!" he snarls "Just the price of a pint!" I have only the old puddle penny I've found I give him my coat he puts his hat on his head at a rakish angle the tree flies away the bird hangs still in the air neon scribbles on the puddles *** The title is taken from one of Michael's poems as is the idea of a tree flying away leaving the bird in mid-air! It always greatly amused me. The only other time I had gone to hear him read and he was too drunk to perform. I had to get a last bus back to the Curragh and by then I think he finally got around to reading. It was absolutely lashing rain and he carried his hat scrunched up in his hand and had only a thin tee shirt on. He put my coat on and tramped off into a future that was falling before him. I never saw the coat or Michael again. He had asked me if I wrote poetry too and when I said I did he said: "Ahhh then....I pity you!"
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Nov 8, 2021
Nov 8, 2021 at 5:14 AM UTC
"...THE POSSIBILITY THAT HAS BEEN OVERLOOKED IS THE FUTURE..." ( for Michael Hartnett )
"...THE POSSIBILITY THAT HAS BEEN OVERLOOKED IS THE FUTURE..." ( for Michael Hartnett ) found penny in a puddle year of my birth I pocket it as the poet passes cap in hand this brilliant man sculpted from sadness loneliness falling like rain he goes to greet me knowing he knows me but my face escapes him I only ever meet him when the drink has taken him prisoner inside his head haiku breed "..like maggots!" he says..."...like maggots!" "I don't want your company or your pity!" he snarls "Just the price of a pint!" I have only the old puddle penny I've found I give him my coat he puts his hat on his head at a rakish angle the tree flies away the bird hangs still in the air neon scribbles on the puddles *** The title is taken from one of Michael's poems as is the idea of a tree flying away leaving the bird in mid-air! It always greatly amused me. The only other time I had gone to hear him read and he was too drunk to perform. I had to get a last bus back to the Curragh and by then I think he finally got around to reading. It was absolutely lashing rain and he carried his hat scrunched up in his hand and had only a thin tee shirt on. He put my coat on and tramped off into a future that was falling before him. I never saw the coat or Michael again. He had asked me if I wrote poetry too and when I said I did he said: "Ahhh then....I pity you!"
donall-dempsey
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donall-dempsey
Nov 8, 2021
Nov 8, 2021 at 5:14 AM UTC
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