Lemn Sissay
Lemn Sissay has just returned from a mini residency in Arizona. He writes a regular column for Poetry Review, and will be the writer in residence for 2007 at The Royal Festival hall. He has recently judged the John Lewllyn Rhys Prize for literature for The Book Trust, and presented one of Radio 4’s Fact to Fiction programmes. He's also included in the Today Programme's online audio advent calendar
Here are Lemn's poems from this week:
I always like the first poem to be a clear statement of intent. I have two other poems later in the programme in which to be more experimental. Though I want to leave hints of wordplay as a message of what’s to come.The rhyming pattern is aa bb. There is one stanza. Here it is. .
Saturday Live
Packed full of treats and sweets it’s like
You can have your Christmas cake and eat it’s like
This produces honey and she presents the hive
The hand fits the Glover - it’s Saturday live
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1st poem about knitting. I use in the second verse a lot of knitting terminology like “gauge tension”. I wanted to cross stitch this with the dialogue of the mother and son. I also wanted to use sayings which have filtered into our society which use either wool or knitting like “close knit” which didn’t actually get in. Aside from this I threaded “click click click” throughout the poem as a challenge, a heartbeat, a rhythm, a meditation.
Click Click Click
Click click click what do you want me to knit click click click
for Christmas click click click said the mum click click click
to the son click click click who was click click clicking
on his mouse
I want Click click click Thought the son Click click click
To the mum Click click click My dad Click. Drop stitch
Click Pull up stitch. Knit one slip one pass slip, stitch over
Gauge tension Click click click
I could never pull the wool over your eyes Click click click
Women spun she said Click click click And thought of wolves in sheeps clothing
Click click click It was men that knitted Click click click
We were the weavers Click click click The weavers Click. Click click
While they were the were in the shepherds in the fields fisherman at sea
Reaping what they sowed and sewing what they reaped – me. Click.
He moved his mouse from side to side And clicked on a web site
Click click click. She hated Christmas Click None of it was worthwhile
Click But to see his smile her sons smile Click click click. Click click click click And his photograph fade into sepia upon her red heart click click.
We were the weavers women were the weavers.
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I wrote the next poem “wrapping the present” about the present wrapper. And I made it into a rap. This wrapper begins talking about general wrapping and then takes it to another level and begins wrapping the omnipresent and daytime with night. Though I really enjoyed writing these poems I wish I had more time for them to fully realise themselves. It’s a bit like what you are seeing the embryonic stages, which in itself, is quite exiting.
Wrapping The Present
I can wrap anything you name it I’ll claim it you’ll exclaim it’s a gift of beauty
It’s my duty so shoot me I am the baddest wrapper –
Yo! I finish it off with a bow and a sprinkle of glitter,
Trust me like you would the babysitter
Leave me with your presents from a chocolates to a pheasant, That’s Live
I can wrap it in five. I’m like a bee without a hive
Buzzing on your gifts I can give them the lift they need
Indeed – like the words of the sage
wrap your present and your present will be freed
Rage I can wrap rage in my wrapping paper cage
Love I can wrap love in my wrapping paper love
Like you wrap the hand with the velvet glove
Open the tender fingers from the clenched fist
And take my gift for I give you this
Each word wrapped in its own ink
You may judge the book by its cover but think
It’s wrapped with silver paper and I did it
And all I ever wanted to do – was to give it so you can live it
I can wrap anything you name it I’ll claim it and you’ll exclaim it’s
A gift of beauty it’s my duty
It ain’t what you wrap it’s the way that you wrap it.
Cause I’m a wrapper
I don’t have an issue with using tissue if it’s a present to say I miss you
Haven’t seen you in years I could wrap a present with my own tears
I could wrap the day the sun I wrap
I could wrap the sky and tie it up and I do
I wrap it in black cloth it’s true I am the universal wrapper
I can wrap the omnipresent I can wrap the sun and post it to the moon
Every morning you unwrap a new day and there it is – not a moment too soon - The present
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Any chance of reading the poems again? Will they be posted on this site?
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