Mike , thanks for the read. 'green fingers' are indeed gardeners but also
the first thrust of daffodils and crocus and snowdrops pushing out of the
cold soil. The references are unclear because they are all part of a
continuum and hence no distinguishing boundaries are available. Arthur.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Horwood" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, January 16, 2003 8:39 AM
Subject: Re: new sub:continuum( constitutional unzipped)


Hello Arthur,
             I put this one aside a few days ago and have just got round to
looking at it more carefully. My first impression was that it was a bit
muddled, but that was clearly the result of my poor reading. On closer
examination I have to say that there is much that I like here. I have
already deleted the other comments that came in but I have a vague memory
that you may have said you were reworking it (?) Anyway, I like the
collection of images you have chosen and they sit well together i.e. unity.
I get the pun on rec. in the last line and I imagine the green fingers can
be both the children´s  fingers stained by the sweets and gardners working
in the park area. Am I right? If so I feel that this last one may be a bit
forced, maybe. Of course, gardners do dig up the earth and pull out dead
plants so maybe I´m being over fussy, which (as a little aside) is one of
the drawbacks of `trying´ to crit a poem, but there you go. On the whole, I
think it works well.


Best wishes,   Mike



--- Alkuperäinen viesti ---
continuum

magpies wreck
the corpse of Christmas
strip the pale cage
an orange digger
pecks at rafter- ribs
as the old school
melts into lorries
by the post office
a child tears open sweets
green fingers
prise the Rec. apart