Odd Things in Odd Places (or Compartmentalise)

(For the Chop - A Puss in Boots on a Snow Day)

(The Freeze is On)

Compartmentalise is a poem about un-rechargeable batteries and what I do with them until I find a safe-place to leave them. I seem to carry them with me and forget I have them stuffed in some front pocket of my rucksack alongside out-of-date lottery tickets that I’ve forgotten to check or crinkled up notepaper with words that I thought would come in handy some time…the Dark Knight and Joker, a nerdish fringe and a kinder egg all make an appearance too. There is gasping and weakening and chaos and me still coming and going from my house with un-rechargeable batteries in the front pocket of my rucksack or in the glove compartment of the car which contains maps from previous holiday spots, a knife I keep to peel apples while away from my kitchen, a few sets of Penney’s sunglasses and possibly the phone number of the plumber we keep needing but never ring because we never have the phone number at hand …. What do you do with un-rechargeable batteries until you get to designated 'safe-spot' (if ever...)or what are you prone to hoarding in strange places...and what are those strange places? Do you ever reach your goal and take the hoarded items to where you once thought you would take them...? Just curiosity...: )

A Rooster and a Blind Corner

(Meanwhile, A Cacti Rooster)

One of the poems in the book that I'm hoping to do audio on (if courage plus price of ¡phone can be mustered up) is 'Rooster on a Dangerous Bend (Or There Is No Satisfaction in Losing One’s Hat)'

A true story about a rooster on a dangerous bend! It is nearly all blind corners where I live and on one particular bad bend there is a rooster that has been hanging out there for what must be 10 years because from day one of my driving I have seen ‘him’ or if not ‘him’, a close relative. I don’t know how long roosters live but I imagine ten years is a long time so would bet that it is a rooster tradition that has been taken up by the original rooster’s descendents. : ) This poem accounts my thoughts on encountering him and leads to questions about moons, and the joke about why the chicken crossed the road and about losing one’s hat as opposed to one’s rag and there are references to the eternal dance of Mulligan’s ball and the song sugar, sugar and this poem ends up thinking about purgatory for some reason.

I am hoping to actually get a photo of this rooster over the week-end – it’s a tricky one as with the dangerous bend and me in the car, there is never a moment to lose….it looks as if I’ll have to either walk the bend (which may cause him to scamper) or actually stop the car at the dangerous bend – who said poetry was a safe act done while snuggled up in bed and giving in to introspection! ; )

Readings - Into the West and Heading South

(Life on the Rocks)

Thanks to Barbara for passing me on the e-mail addresses of the poetry reading places in Ireland. I knew of them but had not got the contact info. and I didn’t realise that they get booked up really quickly, so once again kudos to Barbara for also forewarning me of that.

I’ve been really lucky and have ended up with three readings within a week – because
of my living-abroad circumstances,the only times that would be suitable for me to do readings in Ireland would be August and September.I am also in Ireland in April and possibly end of May/June/July but it would be practically impossible to have the book by then but I am hoping to have the book by mid-Sept. Nothing is confirmed yet though.

The three places are:

Sheridan’s Wine Bar,Galway 11th of Sept (Friday)

Ó Bhéal, Cork 14th of Sept. (Monday)

The White House, Limerick 16th of Sept. (Wednesday)

Paul in Ó Bhéal has also asked if I would be interested in giving a workshop
earlier on in the evening.
I am really delighted about that and looking forward to it.

So that’s the story there. I am hoping to check out more reading venues in Ireland and the UK for the Spring and Summer of 2010, if anyone has any ideas on where, that would be great. : )