I am like a child with an advent calendar at the moment, marking off the days until QLD Poetry Festival is here. So to mark this day off in fine style, here is a poem from one of the poets featuring at QPF 2009, Paul Magee.
Proem
‘There are three barriers to learning: One is misunderstood words’
the taxi driver told me in response to my job at the university.
His eyes were lightly seared steak, his grin an all-knowing menu.
I thought of the kid who’d seen licence plates as words that speak,
the fantasies that connect the cloud-filled letters on a page,
those insane writers who believe you read what they meant.
‘When your students are reading and they have to re-read, that’s
misunderstood words.’ My ‘But that’s good’ fell on the side
platter. ‘When someone doesn’t understand a word you’ve said that’s
misunderstood words.’ His brain was fried. Barriers Two and Three
seared with somewhat less intensity. During them I looked him
in the words’ mouth, thought what flesh we are in that vision of chops.
We arrived. I took my knowledge from his larder and into the
scholarly fire of the puniversity, ruler of the world by centi
metre, and another centimetre, and another millimetre of mind.
Actually that driver had a doctorate in understanding
but it’s a faculty we rarely apply to get into
in any permanent way, because only animals are so direct.
It’s just that we have verbal sex. There’ll always be
a hidden y, or an extra x, in Let x=x,
(I par-boiled) as I opened the gate and abandoned all hope
but a grain of salt.
[Reprinted from Blast: Poetry and Other Critical Writings, no.7, March 2008]
About Paul:
Paul Magee studied in Melbourne, Moscow, San Salvador and Sydney. His first book, From Here to Tierra del Fuego, was published by the University of Illinois Press in 2000. It was based on fieldwork in the far South of South America. His first volume of poetry, Cube Root of Book was published by John Leonard Press in 2006. It was shortlisted for the Innovation Award at the 2008 Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature, and highly commended in the Ann Elder and Mary Gilmore Awards. Paul is a Senior Lecturer in Poetry at the University of Canberra.
Catch Paul at QPF 2009:
Saturday August 22 – 11:45am – 12:45pm
Phosphorescence at the Edge: feat. Paul Magee, Jane Williams & Rob Morris
Saturday August 22 – 8:00pm
A Million Bright Things: featuring a short set from every bright thing on the 2009 program plus a feature set from the awesome Neil Murray
Sunday August 23 – 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Proscuitto and the Pink: feat. Paul Magee, Angela Costi & AF Harrold
Sunday August 23 – 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Just Kissed Goodbye: feat. Paul Magee, Janet Jackson, Angela Costi, Jane Williams, Neil Murray, Elizabeth Bachinsky, Geoff Goodfellow, AF Harrold, Hinemoana Baker and the QPF Committee
All sessions are held at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts, Brunswick St. Fortitude Valley.
For full program details head to www.queenslandpoetryfestival.com
2 Comments
July 17, 2009 at 12:13 pm
awesome poem… can’t wait to see paul at qpf!
July 18, 2009 at 10:05 am
Yeah, so much good work to look forward to in August!