Sunday, January 23, 2011

Tuesday Poem - Chop! - by Steve Smart

Chop!

This is an axe

I’m not going to hurt you
just need to chop some wood
it’s cold out tonight

This is a fire

Small, slow burning
stop poking at it
it’ll burn all by itself

This is a chimney

The fire is going now
but there’s too much smoke
the room is filling up, choking

This is a bucket

The fire is spreading out of control
must find water
before skin begins to melt

This is relief

Not too cold, not too hot
the porridge is cooking nicely
come inside, get warm –
stop apologising
every time you don’t save the world

This poem is a hint
of things to come


Steve Smart is yet another Melbourne poet – we have such a lot of poets in Melbourne- (lucky us) – and I think it would be fair to describe him as a 'performance poet'. Not that there is anything wrong with that, to quote Seinfeld. I heard him read this poem in last year's final of Poetry Idol at Federation Square and liked it loads. Steve is a mover and a shaker and an instigator and a begetter, the Overload Festival is a brain child of his – with a little bit of help from his friends. To quote the Beatles. These days he is one of the conveners of the long-running Dan poetry readings, and he tours, he paints nails, he writes poetry, he slams, he is a true believer.

3 comments:

  1. He paints nails? I'd like to know more about that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. at poetry festivals - to attract people to his stall selling books he offers nail paints $1 a go - very popular indeed

    ReplyDelete