After our amazing collaboration on the long poem, ‘mushroom, in a tube‘, Michael Fitzgerald-Clarke, Ric Williams and myself have teamed up again, this time on a poem titled Project 823: Urban Myths. The idea came from an email that was doing the rounds, stating that in July 2012, there were five consecutive Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, a rare event that takes place only once every 823 years. The email called this phenomenon ‘Money Bags’ and asked you to donate accordingly, then send it on to at least 10 other people. If you didn’t, it would mean bad luck for the remainder of the year… This of course is an urban myth!
So Michael, Ric and I have taken the idea of Urban Myths and stretched it to breaking… it was again a magnificently playful experience, with each poet, really pushing themselves to bring something original to the table. As with ‘mushroom, in a tube’, who wrote which parts is not important. What is important is that the parts were written… Here’s a sample from the poem:
Project 823: Urban Myths
—G’day Jupiter! This is Johnny “The Kid” Saturday
talking to you from Kangaroo 1, Australia, planet Earth.
I’ve got a headache over my left eye, and
I’m seeing purple koalas – this capsule
does strange things to you after all
this time – but no bullshit, it’s
great to finally be here. Do you know
The Easybeats hit “Friday on My Mind?”
*****
I know there are other tragedies to consider, but
here, these apples will put a shiny taste in your blouse.
*****
vertiginous alone the young virgin
verily comes curly-loined the lion
lamb halo-headed holy haruspex
