Water thing to do to yourself

I’d liked to have written about the talk I heard this week by Lavinia Greenlaw and Neil McGregor, and their discussion about vision. I had hoped to throw my twopenneth, for what it’s worth, in about the article this week written by Rory Waterman about “Good Person Poems“, published at Poetry London, and I largely agree with Rory and also some of Jon Stone’s response. Some of the responses to Rory’s article have, to me, been unnecessary, misinterpretation (wilful or otherwise) or just odd. Others carry a grain of truth, but I am not clever enough to get into it. I think it also over-shadowed Camille Ralph’s two-part essay. I am working my way through that, but anything else to day is a case of: Nope, too hungover this week. Damn the fireworks party.

Today is not a day for achievement. It’s something of a miracle that I woke up today.

At present I am just venerating water, which puts me in mind of this Larkin poem. I could be all fancy and get into the questioning of religion or look at the beauty of “any-angled light”, but I shall just settle for making a god of water

Water

If I were called in
To construct a religion
I should make use of water.

Going to church
Would entail a fording
To dry, different clothes;

My liturgy would employ
Images of sousing,
A furious devout drench,

And I should raise in the east
A glass of water
Where any-angled light
Would congregate endlessly.

Phillip Larkin, Collected Poems

THE WEEK IN STATS

1 run in a woodland area
1 fireworks night party
1 planning session for Brighton half. The training starts tomorrow
2 hangovers
15K in the last week. Really slow week.Need to up my game some more. I can feel myself getting unfit again
0 x acceptances
1 rejections: Assumed the no from New Welsh Review. I expect the same from Rialto any day now.
0 poem finished:
1 poem worked on: Bedside Manner
0 new submissions:
27 poems currently out for submission.
68 Published poems*: Was 69, but one was not used in the end, having been accepted.
43 Poems* finished by unpublished
26 poems* in various states of undress
554 Rejected poems* Eg I’ve decided they are not good enough
1 review to write (I’ve read the book)
1 days without cigarettes…I was doing well…
0 Days since drinking
1 more week that I’m not having an affair with Eva Green

* To date, not this week. Christ!!

TITLE GIVEAWAY
Show Both Showboats
In the interest of factual accuracy the chewing gum has been removed from the Dinosaur display
Farce Majure

READ/SEEN/HEARD/ETC

Read
Lewis Buxton: Boy In Various Poses
Mona Arshi: Dear Big Gods

Music
The Trembling Blue Stars: Her Handwriting
Julie Doiron: Broken Girl
Death Cab For Cutie: The Photo Album
The War On Drugs: I Don’t Live Here Anymore
Brooke Bentham: Everyday Nothing
Sam Prekop: Comma
Yo La Tengo: Summer Sun
Cassandra Jenkins: An Overview on Phenomenal Nature
Bartees Strange: Live Forever
Jónsi: Obsidian
Cinema Under The Stairs Podcast: Interview with Edward Parnell
Thao & The Get Down Stay Down: Temple
Low: Hey What
Explosions In The Sky: The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place, Friday Night Lights Demos, Friday Night Lights OST
The Memory Band: ColoursMatthew Halsall: Fletcher Moss Park, On The GoMary Lattimore: Collected WorksPower of Dreams: To Hell with Common Sense
The Archers
Port O’Brien; All We Could Do Was Sing, Threadbare,
Radiohead: Kid A, Amnesiac, Kid A Mnesia
Madeline Bell: Doin’ Things
Pearl Jam: Deep-Vote
Archie Bronson Outfit: Derdang Derdang
Adem: Love & Other Planets
Matthew Halsall: Salute To The Sun, Sending My Love
Mono: Pilgrimage To The Soul
Jaga Jazzist: Pyramid Remix
Dinosaur Jr. Emptiness At The Sinclair