deepundergroundpoetry.com
The Singer of United Street
Now he’d rather walk he’d rather
the half mile walk home were longer
More careful than work
he chooses his hymn
and he will let heave the miles inside him.
He sings loud where the road pauses
between factories and chokes it
when passing the watchmen
He will not sing to the watchmen
in pure untutored tone.
He will bellow to awed automobiles
to whispering sprinklers casting eels
catching light and palsied
performance of throat;
He sings where watchmen’s
flashlights only poke.
the half mile walk home were longer
More careful than work
he chooses his hymn
and he will let heave the miles inside him.
He sings loud where the road pauses
between factories and chokes it
when passing the watchmen
He will not sing to the watchmen
in pure untutored tone.
He will bellow to awed automobiles
to whispering sprinklers casting eels
catching light and palsied
performance of throat;
He sings where watchmen’s
flashlights only poke.
Published 28th Aug 2022
Author's Note
My words, my art, my voice. The music is one of those iMovie tracks.
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
likes 3
reading list entries 3
comments 7
reads 564
Commenting Preference:
The author encourages honest critique.
28th Aug 2022 5:50am
You have a voice as smooth as butter and made to be listened to! Wow!! ...you really added so much additional heft and personal inflection to your already beautiful written poem.
This has got to be one, if not the best spoken word performance I've come across here, A.
Just superb
Thank you for sharing, I think I'll listen again...
🌹 💙
B
This has got to be one, if not the best spoken word performance I've come across here, A.
Just superb
Thank you for sharing, I think I'll listen again...
🌹 💙
B
"One, if not the best..." Wow. Thanks, my friend.
This was written when I was about 20. An old poem during the hungry years.
This was written when I was about 20. An old poem during the hungry years.
31st Aug 2022 3:26am
You are an expert at word craft. Seriously, top tier. You build unsinkable ships as poetry. The fucktards that built the titanic should have copied some of your poems on the side of it. It would still be here.
Yes, I know, alas, you were born too late for that.
Yes, I know, alas, you were born too late for that.
31st Aug 2022 5:00am
I don't know what to say. Thank you. It was made when I was hardly 20 years old, poor and walking instead of riding.
Thanks, Styxian!
Thanks, Styxian!
12th Sep 2022 00:15am
Hey Alv, truly magnificent spoken word. Like your voice was made for reading this poem. ;) Truly a trifecta of beauty. The art is amazing and compliments this so well. I used to walk a lot in the UK including to and from school, to the city centre, the train station, the metro, etc. and I loved it. All the things you would see and kind of getting lost inside yourself if you were alone and if not well getting into lots of mischief but let's not talk about that. lol The watchmen, I don't know why but this kind of gave me the feel of the Watcher class of fallen angels that fell to Mount Hermon to take wives among the daughters of men and take mutual imprecation for their sin in the mythology of Enoch. But I am strange. lol Sprinklers casting eels, I love the imagery so much in this. Awesome stuff.
12th Sep 2022 1:01am
Thank you, Kristinax! So generous of you.
Hmm. The comments on this poem are making me wonder whether I was a better poet when I was twenty, whether I lost something through the ages.
Hmm. The comments on this poem are making me wonder whether I was a better poet when I was twenty, whether I lost something through the ages.
12th Sep 2022 1:20am
Haha... Our writing changes but I am sure the new stuff is great. This is just the first one I have read/listened to. :p Anyway I am still twenty something so maybe the twenty something me really gets the twenty you. lol I suppose I will see when I have a chance to read more. ;)
