Sunday, April 12, 2015

Tuesday Poem - 'from Mr Clean & The Junkie' by Jennifer Compton

Mr Clean & The Junkie

(Mr Clean & The Junkie is imagined as a film script, and is about a
young man called Jon Klein who works as a money launderer at the
casino for his father, a local crime boss. He is stuck in a winning streak.
But then he meets Justine who is a gambling junkie and who loves to lose.)

from The journey begins

Jon knuckles down and, with a nod and a glance
from Clancy his croupier, manages to lose

twenty grand by morning smoko.
He sighs with relief

and indicates
he is going to take a break.

As he strolls out of the building
under the starlit ceiling,

he sees The Junkie walking towards him.
Not towards him. Towards the entrance.

She has crossed the road. She walks straight past him.
And she tries to keep it going past the security guard.

But he has her by the elbow. She goes down on her knees.
Lenny in the bunker pulls up her face on all his screens.

The guard who has four sisters and hates this place,
gets her upright with a gentle fist, points to the street.

Lenny shrugs and makes her disappear.
He's sad because … he's sad.

She makes a strange gesture with her head that's
hard to read. As if she is wringing her own neck.

She walks backwards away from everything she craves.
The camera that tracks her retreating, now turns,

like the ravenous eye that it is,
onto Jon, watching him watching her go.


That's just a taster for you to be getting on with.
Now I am off for 3 weeks (April 15 – 30) to New Zealand to launch
my verse novella Mr Clean & The Junkie which is being published
by Makaro Press as part of their Hoopla series along with Bryan
Walpert's Native Bird and Carolyn McCurdie's Bones In The Octogon.

Three launches!

Palmerston North City Library – 6-30 pm – Thursday 16th April
Wellington -The Fringe Bar Allen Street (just off Courtenay Place)
4pm – Sunday 19th April
Dunedin Public Library – 5-30 pm – Wednesday 22nd April

And my good mate Coral Carter is coming along for the ride and we
are going to do some readings together.

Wellington
Monday 20th April
NZ Poetry Society Reading - Thistle Inn 3 Mulgrave St Wellington City 7-30 pm
Sunday 26th April
Poets To The People - Hightide Cafe 44 Marine Parade Paraparaoumu Beach 4pm

Dunedin

Wednesday 22nd April
Circadian Rhythm Cafe – 8pm

Auckland

Tuesday 28th April
The Thirsty Dog – 469 Karangehape Road 7pm

Wednesday 29th April
Lounge – Old Government House cnr Princes St/ Waterloo Quadrant 5-30 – 7pm


http://www.makaropress.co.nz/makaro-books/the-hoopla-series/




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