Wednesday, September 03, 2008

How Long Does It Take To Write a Poem?

I’m not yet sure
Let me check the time
Seven minutes to ten
The second hand passing the half-way mark
It’s Sunday morning
The sky’s a grey flannel
Cars rush along the Vauxhall Bridge Road
Heading for the plug hole
Two minutes thirty five seconds so far
Inevitably there will be a redrafting, maybe two
And there’s the possibility that this may never become a poem at all
Just a few scribbled lines in my notebook
And when the notebook is full
Be consigned to the old notebook shelf
Waiting for an epiphany
For the day that never comes
When Indiana Jones finds the room’s hidden entrance
In the rubble and the rocks
Lifts it carefully
Blows the dust from the book’s cover
Opens and begins to read
Eight minutes, twenty three seconds

5 comments:

Sue hardy-Dawson said...

Truly eligant and atmospheric Roger, one of mine took seven years. I wrote the first verse then seven years later the second. I've been struggling with my job for a while and have just handed in my notice, I'm going to work from home for a bit while I finish my degree, so maybe when my brain feels less tired I'll have more time for everything X

Russell CJ Duffy said...

It takes me forever as I don't have your ability!!

Good to see you blogging again you old rascal.

Wastedpapiers said...

Nice that you mentioned the underrated poet Indiana Jones. Lovely stuff!

Anonymous said...

This is great, Roger. It feels so spontaneous, like a Ted Berrigan poem. Brilliant.

By the way, I've been meaning to say how much I enjoyed your YouTube stuff - the Pencil Incident cracked me up!

Roger Stevens said...

Sue - looking forward to the third verse.
CJ - old rascal?
Wasted - Indiana Jones is a very underrated poet.
Liam - Thanks. I'm enjoying the YouTube video experience. have you made any yet?