Thursday 23 October 2014

PRYING EYES

This my last post about my ailments. My baby triffid has been removed from my ear (ouch), skin taken from my neck. Not allowed to touch the dressing in my ear, shower or wash around it. Hence the area is very bloody.

Now I was very keen to see the Fulham game against Norwich. The District Line wasn’t functioning, so I had to go by bus. This journey took about an hour and with lunchtime shoppers there was a constant change of passengers.

You should be very pleased that my inability to post pictures on my posts because if I showed an image of my ear anyone who happened to see it would immediately pass out. I suppose I could have stayed in a darkened room until they checked the dressings and cleaned me up but I was determined to go to the game.

On the bus everyone seemed to be staring at me, not because of any work I’d done but aghast at the sight of bloodied ear. Which I have to say looks as if Luis Suarez had got his teeth into it.


I realised too late, that I should have had a card hanging round my neck, in fifteen languages of course, saying ‘I’ve had an operation on my ear and skin taken from my neck. It Hurts. Thank you for your interest.’ 

Tuesday 7 October 2014

The Grand Canyon

A phrase that I constantly think about is this. I paraphrase but here’s the gist.

‘Publishing a book of poetry is like dropping a rose leaf down into the Grand Canyon and waiting for the echo.’

That’s how I always felt about my work, my books, another limping out soon, and my posts.


I’m still waiting for an echo.