Mr. Drew Wears Armani

[dedalus]

At night, barefoot, on the stony tracks
the roots and the rocks would cut your feet
and you'd come come bleeding, angry,
and prepare for the next time. It went
on and on forever, there in the hills,
down by Cuil Aodha and Gougane Barra.
Tell me the name of a thousand stars
and which of the leaves in the forest
can heal that illness, whether boiled or powdered,
placed in a poultice, eaten, or stuck up your arse.
Twenty years they said it would take, each year
the chance of getting thrown out, rejected,
and the weary shame of returning home.

Knowledge they knew was dangerous
and it was doled out in careful stages; nothing
was allowed to be written; pens and parchment
were things we never saw. Memorise all we tell you
or tomorrow we send you home. In the beginning
it was nigh impossible, but then it became easier,
and our eyes then began to see brighter colours,
our ears could hear the mice in faraway barns
and the trout singing softly in the lake,
and we were not asleep even when sleeping;
our teachers slowly, gradually, became less stern
and we knew that we would not be sent home
for we sensed there was no other home, not then.

Two thousand years later, give or take,
I step off the airplane at LA International
and wave my fingers at the Immigration flunkey
who immediately stamps my passport, blinking.
Out in the hot hazy sunlight I glide into a taxi
and I listen to the mangled Spanish of the driver
for a few minutes, then wave him into silence.
In Beverly Hills I ascend to the Penthouse Suite
obtained with a flutter of the fingers, I telephone
the production company shooting my next movie,
then descend, nattily casual, to the cavernous lobby.
I wave my fingers for an exquisite, well-cooked meal
and eye the elegant blonde sitting four tables over.

A charming little smile, another finger movement,
and she rises from her chair and instantly joins me;
having enjoyed the amenities in my palatial quarters,
I present her with three homemade 100 dollar bills,
far far better than the originals, and she kisses my toes
and bows herself backwards from the room. Ho hum.
Time to call the President, tell him what he's doing wrong,
and accept the usual excuses and apologies. Such a bore,
but one's gotta do what one's gotta do. I find that so true,
and one really needs to plan for the next thousand years.
Had I known in my youth things would end up like this
I might have had second thoughts, felt slightly remiss,
but one grows so used to this business with the fingers.

There is a lot to be said for an old-fashioned education.

[lotus]

dear dedalus


Tell me the name of a thousand stars
and which of the leaves in the forest
can heal that illness,

nothing
was allowed to be written; pens and parchment
were things we never saw.

Two thousand years later, give or take,
I step off the airplane at LA International
and wave my fingers at the Immigration flunkey
who immediately stamps my passport,


very fine cinema !

silent lotus

[David]

Lotus, this post is 10 years old, and dedalus (aka Brendan) is sadly no longer with us - in this forum or in this world.

Please confine yourself to responding to recent - nay, current - posts.

Thank you.

David

[Pauline]

dedalus (aka Brendan) is sadly no longer with us - in this forum or in this world.

I know he hasn't been around for a while but I didn't realize he had passed away.
I'm really saddened by this news.
He was such a character.
He sent me a music CD of himself and his band all the way from Japan.
I was thrilled to receive it and thoroughly enjoyed his mix of Irish/Japanese music.
A colourful character with a strong sense of loyalty for his home country.
He never forgot his Irish roots, and proudly educated and entertained us with everything Irish with a passion every chance he got.

Yep, this news has truly stopped me in my tracks.

[lotus]

Lotus, this post is 10 years old, and dedalus (aka Brendan) is sadly no longer with us - in this forum or in this world.

Please confine yourself to responding to recent - nay, current - posts.

Thank you.

David

dear David

i respect the sadness of the body leaving
and the joy of the soul's eternal presence

thankyuuu for your kindness
to allow Brendan's pen to remain in this Graves sanctuary


as you are the guardian of the website
then i shall bear witness to your request
to only reply to current posts
yet i shall relish tiptoeing through the archives
and take pleasure in the timelessness of inkwells

a warm smile
silent lotus

[David]

It is sad news, Pauline. Sorry, I didn't realise you didn't know.

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, Lotus.

[Lake]

I jumped into this thread just because I thought dedalus is back posting.

Pauline, I am with you. It is a shocking sad news.
I highly appreciate his interest and study in eastern culture and history.
I also miss his talent in translations.

Sad as it can be
Before dawn, cold dream
I hold a brush but the ink runs dry
As my thoughts surge and swirl
I can hardly find words to put on paper
Only see begonias outside the window
Drooping their heads in the morning dew

Lake

[Ros]

I don't believe I knew that, either.

Ros