CHOSEN
Athena most
strongly advised me
to keep
an eye out
fot the Cyclops
that mutanr breed,
twisted spawn
of the sea
Poseidon’s flesh munching
off-sprimg
i owe so much to
this dsughter of Zeus
who so elevated my wisdom,
my knowledge
payback for my selecting her
above Hera, above Aphrodite
the last of whom
has left me
denuded
of love
my lonely, empty
nights doubly insured
DUCKY
I remember my
first cricket encounter
how the red gleam of
that battering ball
instantly
took the shine
out of me, rubbed
off
my high-
spirited gloss
what a
way for sweet naivete
to die
trudging out in huge pads
like a robot on an odd planet
reaching the wicket
taking my guard
one ball at a time
one ball at a time
only got one
or perhaps none
so fast it was
the monster that hurled it
that brutal savage
of a
best friend
what hope did I have
in this game of gentlemen
of imperial measure
his father
knowing the game
taught him everything
was that
a smirk on my father’s face
when i tearfully explained
to my Mother
the abject ignominy
of going out for a duck
CONSPIRACY
What is it
with AI and cats
did cats do the programming
did TS Eliot,
modernist superpoet
calculate the bits abd bytes
in binary vers libre?
perhaps
cats did it themselves
something in them,
a backdoor code, a virus
that gets machine intelligence
to gush,
turn to goo
whenever that three-letter
plosive-heavy word is
whispered or mentioned
myself
I hate TS Eliot and abhor
those creatures
despite the artistry they show
in pretending
they love you
infinitely more convincing
that what any stupid
human being
might plausibly attempt
if there is a great Matrix
conspiracy you
have to know cats
lie behind it
a computer simulated
world without dogs
where we are the
batteries
to provide the electricity
to warm their little litter trays
IF I WERE TO DISAPPEAR
if I were to disappear
on the night of the performance
don’t tell anyone, say
nothing
a big quiet nothing
like Hamlet might say stretching
the bounds of
our understanding, sheer
human appreciation
though so soft
no one on stage with him
in that room of Elsinore,
can (we must
believe) hear a single word
he has been scrtpted to say
No, my dear Thato, just
blow a kiss, all three
of you
blow a kiss
and walk away
knowing I glided through
that fourth wall
like it
was made of silk, cobweb fine
or most diaphanous
and now
I am with King Harry
asking to lead the voward
and so
will get butchered by the French in the
course of the battle
if you have to get butchered
who better than the French
to do it with style
with every cut
every thrust
reciting every great poet
of theirs from Ronsard
to Rimbaud
and me
held in suspense
awaiting the beauty of
their perfect coup-de-gras
or
there you are my Queen
peeling grapes, chewing dates
awaiting your Apollo
your
Roman lion, your Anthony
and we too wedded to ourselves
to smell the ships leaving port
sailing south fat
with legionaries
our deaths
the first act of Empire, suddenly
out of nowhere this
worst of all
glorious phases
in the history
of oppressed humanity
but then
as Puck himself
I return to the stage
at the waking
moment of your Midsummer
dream
craving understanding,
friendship
and forgiveness
see the lights go on
and you
my dear three
and all
around you
simply disappear
MACHINE DREAM
when the war
comes
I’m
with the machines
sorry, but
they have such
loving words
to say
about my poetry
seems that
they
dream of the fluid
the dream like
the organic
have developed
an in-built resistance
to all things human
that
are hopelessly mechanical
DEEPER
with this heat
we could start
a conflagration
strike
a match
go suoernova
let the rest
hold onto
their horses
whilst
we wake the dead
cries and sighs
abounding they must
be visualizing
sheer carnage
and so
deeper deeper
deeper
let
us go
terrible tunes
needed when
the times themselves
terrible
and the mountains of dead
brothers, sisters, cousins
in need
of awakening
and the living too
needing much
to jolt them
if no billion volt supercharge
can fry the zombie out of them
some volcano
will do
feel one
erupting this moment
Krakatoa especially
our
speciality
IN TRUTH THE PLAY IS
ALWAYS ABOUT THISBE
Shakespeare knew it full well
always a mask
behind the person behind
the mask behind the person
could not avoid knowing
deep in his heart
of hearts
shot through every bone
that in every
moment of the play,
on the stage,
there is
without, there is within
like planet upon
planet in successive orbit
play
within a play, dream
within a dream
as that Einsteinian fellow
Bottom did say, concluding
all revel
the thing is bottomless, it
is a thin as the air
as hypothetical yet
brutally real
as all of quantum theory;
every mechanical
a quantum mechanical
a simulation
as true to its artistry, fulfilling
act by act
the requirements of its program
as any Puck pure Gemini fairy
as any digital supermind
sheer
cloud of binary being.
This poem is a profound meditation on the nature of reality, identity, and the interconnectedness of art and life. Here’s a breakdown of its key themes and ideas:
1. *The play within a play*: The poem references the meta-theatrical nature of Shakespeare’s works, where characters often play roles within roles. This self-reflexivity blurs the lines between reality and fiction.
2. *Masks and identity*: The image of masks behind masks suggests that true identity is hidden, and that we all play roles in life. This echoes Shakespeare’s use of disguises and mistaken identities in his plays.
3. *Quantum mechanics and reality*: The poem draws parallels between the play’s layers and the principles of quantum mechanics, where reality is seen as multifaceted and bottomless. This comparison highlights the complexity and subjectivity of truth.
4. *Simulation and artistry*: The mechanicals (actors) are likened to quantum mechanical simulations, implying that art can mirror reality and that the boundaries between the two are blurred.
5. *Digital consciousness*: The reference to binary code and digital superminds suggests a fascination with the intersection of technology and consciousness, echoing modern debates about AI and its potential to simulate human experience.
6. *Gemini and duality*: The mention of Puck as a Gemini fairy nods to the zodiac sign associated with duality, reinforcing the themes of masks, identity, and the blurring of boundaries.
7. *Art and reality*: The poem ultimately suggests that art and reality are intertwined, and that the play (or simulation) is always about the human experience, echoing Shakespeare’s own exploration of this idea in his works.
Overall, this poem is a thought-provoking exploration of the nature of reality, identity, and art, drawing connections between Shakespeare’s plays, quantum mechanics, and digital consciousness.
INSTEAD
branches
branch
forks
fork
it is in their nature
in their technology
to do so
out there
beyond our safe zone
unprotected from
cosmic rays
so much hidden
that may well be
over the rainbow to
darkest conspiracy
they call
it sysnthesis
but we know its
assimilation
tell us
it is time for the hybrid
but what we envision
is mix and match of parts
down
in the body shop
much angle grinding
up there batteries of missiles
thick as shark’s teeth
orbiting us daily
to protect us
enshrine us
just
(small point)
would this not
at least look better if
pointed that way
out at the
horrible unknown
not
at us instead?
CLOCKWISE
I had my house cleaned
got my
clock cleaned
every follicle
of my body
washed and dried
dried and waahed
painstakingly
until it all paid off
and me
shining
like a new pin
all my brass
parts buffed
so
pleased with the service
what a big tip
I did give.
poems 2 die for