Apologies from; Nancy, Vicky, Sue J, Lynn, Nora and Ralph

Once again, of course, an excellent meeting.

I read In A Station Of The Metro by Ezra Pound

This is Pound's famous three line (line one is the title as well) Imagist poem. By chance, Sue L had also brought some Pound poems along and had researched his life. Between the two of us we were able to lead a discussion about his immenses influence on early 20th Century Modernism and the poets he had dealings with. Perhaps the best known example is his editing of the original Wasteland by TS Eliot, published in 1922, after Pound's significant intervention. Pound also joined HD in her Imagist movement, rather taking it over.

As a group we discussed at lenght the whole issue of admiring the work whilst having issues with the maker of the work. Pound was unpleasant and later embraced Mussolini's fascism, living in Italy until he was arrested by the italian resistance in 1945 and handed over to US Counter Intelligence. He was imprisoned ( for three weeks in a cage with steel bars) and was to be tried for treason by the USA but was judged to be mentally unfit to stand trial. He died in Italy in 1972 an unepentant fascist.

But much of his poetry is highly valued and his influence on Modernism is unchallenged. A very contraversial foigure. Is it possible to admire the art but despise the artist? Caravaggio presents a similar conundrum, as do many writers, painters etc. I think in the end we agreed that the work was the important thing, not its creator.

Sue L read The Beautiful Toilet by Ezra Pound

Jane read God's Own County by Chris Burden

Dave read 25/02/01 by Ian McMillan

Carol read Kubla Khan by Coleridge

Catherine read New Character by Simon Armitage, a poem about a large painting of a moth in an old red telephone box installed in Barnsley.

Chris read Text by Carol Ann Duffy

Irene read Legger by David Constantine

Dave then read Disaster At Sea by Les Barker

Jane then read a dementia patient's poem from her collection of poems made by patients at St. Caths It was called Smile A Friendly Smile

Carol then read The Donkey by GK Chesterton

Sue L then read The River Merchant's Wife, another Pound poem from his collection Cathay, a set of 'translations' from ancient Chinese verse.

I then broke one of my standard rules by reading one of my own poems, originally piublished in Acumen magazine.

It's called Some Unearthly Hour and imagines a dreamlike meeting between me and my long-dead father. People were kind enough to suggest I copy it here for this post.

Some Unearthly Hour

My father is here again

seated at the dining room table covered

with maps, a compass, all the paraphernalia 

of negotiating disputed terrain.

Outside it’s dark, around three in the morning

an occasional street lamp stutters into life then collapses

a cat sets off next door’s security lights, otherwise nothing.

Dad tamps down the bowl of his pipe.

He seems remarkably young, in uniform,

his Invicta cap badge gleams, three pips on his shoulder

smartly cropped hair. I am in a T shirt and shorts,

dishevelled, not really up to snuff.

He is puzzled, stares at me

as if wondering what I am doing in his house

at this hour of the night when all he wants to do

is read his maps and smoke.

This time I decide to sit beside him

look straight into his eyes which of course,

begin to crease with laughter. 

He taps the pipe stem 

against the swirl of marks, symbols and numbers 

covering the map, points to Monte Cassino, 

where a road marked in brown tells his story.

Leaning forward he asks me why

I keep needing to meet him this way

after all, in a few years time

I’ll be the age he was in November 1997

and we both know what happened then.

David Harmer

The reason I read the poem was because I have a new pamphlet called Before It's Too Late being published by Tim Fellows of Crooked Spire Press and I am launching it on Saturday May 23rd at Doncaster Brewery Tap, 7 Young Street DN1 3EL between 2 and 4. There will be readings by other poets too. If you can come along it would be great to see you.. As it's my first collection for The Grown Ups since the late 80s/early 90s I am rather excited!

Another terrific meeting. Thank you all

David