Met some incredible people in WA & heard some mighty fine poetry… keep your eyes skinned for spotlights on many of the good poetry folk of WA during the next few weeks. One man who had a really profound impact on me was Afeif Ismail Abdelrazig. I am already looking forward to catching up with him again at Overload Festival when he perfoms as part of The Universal Tongue. This poem came to me at 5am.
Caged Bird
for Afeif
I dreamed you were a caged bird
and spoke these words to me
leave the city for the sun’s shore
the mind is a cannibal
noon is best
flesh asphyxiates bone and the wine-beams
that drain like war from the barrel of the moon.
This morning, in a sky never free of signs
passing clouds hum with the cult
of the pulse
and the eye is a diving bell, plunged
into the sun’s silver machinery.
Afeif has a profound impact on anyone fortunate enough to hear him read.
Awesome poem Graham, I love those last lines.
That night at Sunyata was extraordinary.. the poetry, the music, the dancing, the sharing, the space..
I second that Amanda… that night was simply extraordinary!
Awesome is the right word, full of awe.
Thanks Paul… I too was full of awe. Afeif is an amazing man.
wow, Graham, that last stanza!
Glad it hit you Ashley.
yessir, gotta love those ones that come around ‘the hour of god’, as the sufis call it.
beautiful feel to this poem, and strikes me as quite a different style from what i know of your other work, ol son.
keep on diving with your hungry eyes
pretty soon these hungry ol’ eyes are going to be staring down into yours matto. bring on melbourne!