Sally-ee Thanks for responding. I'm not aware of the poem to which you refer
and was just experimenting with this form to see what it offered. The only
thing I can recall as similar is the penultimate chapter of Ulysees by james
Joyce and that was hanging around in my head at the time of writing. The
lines should come over as offsaet, I hope. They left me like that. Regards
Arthur.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sally Evans" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, March 15, 2002 10:37 PM
Subject: Re: New sub: Catechism.
> on 15/3/02 4:36 pm, Arthur at [log in to unmask] wrote:
>
>
> Arthur, I think this would work as a poem if you simply took the answers
and
> left out the questions. The layout I found distracting, too, but as I
> prepare this reply I see the layout has corrected itself to left margin
> throughout.
>
> This echoes a poem but I can't place it,that sense of a loose pigeon
flying
> round in your memory looking for its nesting box. Which poem has something
> like
>
> Did he speak?
>
> Did he...
>
> It will be...
>
> I know, it 's something by Stevie Smith.
> Was he married? Did he grow....
> that's what it made me think of.
>
> Sally Evans
>
> > Catechism
> >
> > Did he come?
> > Yes, he came.
> > When did he come?
> > One morning, early in spring.
> > Did he speak?
> > At first he just stood,
> > looking out of the window, watching the morning,
> > but then, later, he spoke at some length,
> > quietly.
> > What did his voice sound like?
> > Like bells at evensong, sad and distant.
> > What did he look like?
> > A shadow, a shape, a silhouette,
> > slender against the spring light.
> > Did he smile?
> > Oh yes, sweet and plump as an orange, he smiled,
> > but only the once
> > and it shone like a fish leaping in sunlight.
> > Why did he smile?
> > Something I asked him.
> > What did you ask?
> > The cost of loving?
> > What was his answer?
> > The smile.
> > What did he talk about?
> > He asked after you
> > and talked of troubles
> > Troubles?
> > The pain of living
> > the drug of dreams,
> > the struggle between is and seems.
> > Anything else?
> > The curse of gravity
> > the press and passage of the years
> > laughter, friends and tears.
> > Did he leave a message?
> > He said he would wait but not to hurry,
> > there was plenty of time yet.
> > When did he leave?
> > It was night, very late.
> > The last owl swooped,
> > soft as whispers of love.
> > I wish I had been there.
> > He said you would say that.
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