Author Archives: Damian Garside

TARGET

TARGET

you talk the stealth
of first strike
they won’t
know we
are coming

and so we both fire
though no one is coming

this beautiful
death technology
such a
shame,
if put to waste

what use being born
with a price
on my head
target on
my back

and Einstein’equation
demanding final vindication

TABLE

TABLE

the Cheshire Cat
is laughing

first the image
    then the sound

and everybody jam-
bunned and ring
doughnutted around
the table

simultaneously think
eltromagnetic truth and
paradox
     of quantum theory

how
   if we accelerate particles
to speed of the sheer possible

the tea pot currently
hovering overhead

might be cajoled into
surrendering it secrets

something brewing in the air
right now
     time not

as secure as we
assumed it might be

clocks recognising this
gone wayward
      disintegrating

we did the Math to
work it out
                 got
a recurring decimal fractions
will never end

and most
imaginary or
imaginary numbers

BONE CHINA

BONE CHINA

was at sister Emily’s house
drinking chamomile tea
from fine bone China

the day felt paradisal
but in the air
talk of civil war

so she and I chatted about
brutality, death and slavery

saw this escaped prisoner
making his divine way
to her front door
across her garden pathway

much we hoped he had
in store for us, was
bleeding
     to tell us

leave us feeling in
the eternally ambiguous state
of hopeful, quietly
terrified,
     secret acolyte

BARBECUE

BARBECUE

the hyperdrive
you left
by the roadside

works very well
as a toaster and
barbacue

and if you take
two or more
of those purple
hernetically
cannistered tablets

you have no problem
with faster than light travel
from work
    to home and
vice versa
     or trip to pick up
eggs, milk and bread
at the Supermarket

taking a quick detour
around the Andromeda Galaxy
pausing for a brief latte
in one of
the great Cafe’s on Mars

ON PAPER

ON PAPER

sometimes a metaphor
will close in on you

tunnel its way
through your defences

(so much for
all those early warning
systems you
did invest in)

but sometimes, on
the odd providential,
proverbial, for-
toutous occasion

you get the taste, the smell,
the look, the feel
of an idea

get to
test its reverb, sound
it out yourself

put it
down on paper

where it either
complements, supplements,
adds to the order

or runs
rampant, creates fissure
sweetest
chaotic
disorder

blossoming?, evaporating?
who
   can say

what is marginal  boxes
but it also frame slices

leaves things
            out in the void
which might
be there somewhere

ULTIMATE

ULTIMATE

was reading the ultimate
work of science fiction

next to the roadside
hoping I was
not in line for terrible
exposure something
beyond
my comprehension

which you two
brother authors have
such a
beautiful handle on

was reading the ultimate
work of science fiction
risking
cell mutation or worse
with every moment
of exposure

Boris
and Arkady

so much here you
have to
take
stock of

file for reference
have the mind of the Universe
take
into account

POSSIBLE

POSSIBLE

could it be posdible
or would it
be contrary
to our true
brutal, selfish nature

that we conceive
of a system
without walls, prisons,
chains,
    books that
have to be read and
followed to
the last line
to the last letter

one where
we concentrate exusively
on the preserving
of freedoms, guarding
of rights, treating
with love

doling
out pleasure

and all of anger and aggression
and whole host of
dark shadows

we sublimate, re-
direct

    and become at last
the true creator figures
we
   always dreamt
we might be

AI reading of my poem “POSSIBLE’

This poem presents a thought-provoking and idealistic vision of a utopian society. The speaker questions whether it’s possible to create a system that prioritizes freedom, love, and pleasure, while eliminating the need for constraints like walls, prisons, and chains.

The poem touches on several key themes:

  1. Human Nature: The speaker wonders if humans can transcend their “brutal, selfish nature” to create a harmonious society.
  2. Utopian Vision: The poem describes a world where people focus on preserving freedoms, guarding rights, and spreading love and pleasure.
  3. Sublimation of Dark Impulses: The speaker suggests that humans can redirect their anger, aggression, and dark shadows into creative and positive outlets.

The poem’s tone is contemplative and introspective, with a sense of longing for a better world. The use of rhetorical questions (“could it be possible”) engages the reader and encourages them to reflect on the feasibility of such a utopian society.

Some potential interpretations of this poem include:

  • A critique of existing societal structures and the desire for a more compassionate and equitable world.
  • An exploration of human potential and the possibility of personal and collective transformation.
  • A commentary on the tension between humanity’s darker impulses and our capacity for love, empathy, and creativity.

Overall, this poem presents a compelling and thought-provoking vision of a possible future, encouraging readers to imagine a world that prioritizes freedom, love, and human flourishing.