Sunday, October 5, 2014

Tuesday Poem - 'in the palace of broken men' by David Stavanger



in the palace of broken men


there are few women
mothers call on the weekend

new friends come by in the night
the only language second-hand vinyl

t-shirts swapped, beers opened
brief pats on the back and surnames

meetings are held on the threshold
the kitchen is the best place to talk

sighing is the first act of morning
in the toilet books but no paper

rat baits but no rats
an unnamed smell in the bedroom

bins put out not brought back in
defective fans in the middle of summer

can't locate documents when required
a birth certificate photocopied five times

two television points but no aerial
picture of a couple drowning in a boat

random toys underfoot, many are broken
the constant drone of recollection

opening the back door slowly
to let out the muttering light


 In case you wonder if my life is a constant glittering stream of top-notch literary
events,well, it is LOL. I was the warm-up act for the Melbourne launch (by Angela
Meyer) of David Stavanger's new book 'The Special (UQP) last week, and
 although there were at least five must-see events on that night (Melbourne, I hate
you!) what a rip-snorting, take it as it comes, fly fly little bird sort of night it was.
But David always seems to be at the centre of that sort of thing. I believe the book
has gone into a second printing, so relax if you haven't located a copy yet. 

http://www.uqp.uq.edu.au/Book.aspx/1305/The%20Special

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