Marsh Barn, Bridport (21st May 2010)
Three generations. They had driven down all the way from Brighton, emerging Poletical Poits, (a possible politics, a possible poetry) on Friday evening began reading to us in this old rustic Dorset barn down by the sea:
J H Prynne (‘…There are many questions about poetry that cannot be well answered by poets, but that’s no reason for not thinking about them and exchanging points of view.’)
Keston Sutherland –
&
Josh Stanley –
90 minutes later we had a break, and some of us bought one or two of their books of poetry (Barque Press). Then we sat down again for a conversation, the few of us that were left that is, we were down to single figure by then (And many people say J H Prynne is the most significant English poet of our times)…
– What did any of you (1. FOOTNOTE) expect on this marsh ground (2. FOOTNOTE) in the end?
The area of the Coda, he said, is full of life, recapitulating Simentov’s Serenade, before it descends back into cows.
– Hot! Full! Fast!
Why do you all read so fast? I asked.
– I tried to stay awake but it wasn’t long before I was fast asleep along with the rest, dreaming the GOOD OLD CAUSE down here (3. FOOTNOTE), because somewhere from off a long list of the 40 ways not to be a Good Comrade, besides Deviationism (Dissident), Formalism and so on, my eyes had lit on Liberalism (Lazy).
Rap!
– Besides cows are common as muck. And cowardly we know.
I need to do its suffering, one of you (4. FOOTNOTE) had said.
– Be in maximal danger.
Cool, empty and slow, you (5. FOOTNOTE), to get one finger in, try sliding a hand, to push round this scandle.
—
FOOTNOTES:
1. You
2. Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Poetry and Politics (Critical Essays. 1982, P 15-34) etc, etc
3. ‘Down here’, when at war:
– We hang all Irish sight
– Blood feuds are fought between families
– & we rarely take prisoners…
4. …
5. …