copyright © bpNichol, 1987

      ISBN 0-88910-319-4

      This epub edition published in 2010. Electronic ISBN 978 1 77056 139 7.

      ‘One’s pestered in these days by so many Ologies

      We thought we would fain see the tale of our foes;

      A niche of your own in the new Martyrologies

      You’d earn if you’d only go halves in our woes.’

      author unknown -- quoted in C.C. Bombaugh’s Oddities and Curiosities of Words and Literature

      ‘If I don’t learn to shut my mouth I’ll soon go to hell’

      – Christopher Okigbo (1932-1967)

      these books are

      Saint Albans Road

      Saint Andrews Boulevard

      Saint Aubyns Crescent

      Saint Bartholomew Street

      Saint Clair Gardens

      Saint Clarens Avenue

      Saint Cripsins Drive

      Saint David Walk

      Saint Enoch’s Square

      Saint Johns Place

      San Carmello Way

      Christ (i.e. St.)

      sections

       inter

      pretations

       pen

      etrations

      at the corner of

      mundane & sacred

      snow in my shoe &

      dreams of

      Who?

      of some other, higher, life

       Book I

       IMPERFECTION: A Prophecy

      straight

      as the crow flies

      arrow

       part 1

      ‘Salute Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen, and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.’

      Romans 16: 7

      ·

      did you see Him then upon the mount?

      we saw Him

      and did you see Him then in the hills of Galillee?

      we saw Him

      ·

      boat water sail

      in a corricle over the sea in madness

      in a corricle over the sea in grief

      ‘forgive us our tongues of dust our lips of stone forgive us’

      under the sun on a blue sea in the salt wind

      sail water boat.

      ·

      skin wrinkle brown hand tiller eye robe

      wind skin beard hand brown hair tiller hand

      arm wrinkle wind sun eye robe brown skin

      sky boat brown tiller robe wind wrinkle eye

      ·

      forgive us for words said forgive us for words unsaid forgive us who loved You silently forgive us the day we failed You Lord forgive us the day we failed ourselves failing You Lord in a boat on the sea under the sun in the sky beyond us forgive us

      ·

      ·

      so that this way we went & this

      that way & back

      this way & that

      following Joseph

      & did you find him

      in time yes

      & the voyage

      yes

      ·

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      ·

      i have not known Thee or loved Thee enough Lord who would seal his lips up against Thee would not make my stand in the marketplace hid back amongst the shadows as they lead Thee away tho You smiled at me let me know You understood the dreadful fear within me which has no place with Thee

      i have not understood Thy suffering in the simplest terms Lord how You let them know Thy spirit & Thy name how You let them laugh & jeer at Thee firm within Thyself let them kill Thee & did not curse them

      i have understood so little Lord in my cringing smallness my weaknesses I have indulged Lord did not understand how they weakened me until they lead You away Lord & i was silent did not strike out did not lead a multitude against them as i should have could have had i but faced the fear & littleness within me

      ·

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