List Poem

List Poem
(perform each stanza in one deep breath)

 

The shopping on Monday, the shopping on Friday
The shopping I missed in the middle of the week

Birthdays, holy days, Christmas cards and who gets a present
A diary of all my appointments

Conferences I’ve attended, shows that I’ve seen
The books I have read this year
What poems I’ve performed and where
The complexities of Celtic grammar

The films of Ken Russell, David Lynch and of Marvel
The collected films of Derek Jarman
Films by Gilliam, Greenaway, Waters, Fellini, Jodorowsky and Meyer
The films of Hammer Horror

Foods that I and the kids like to eat, foods that my wife won’t hate
Where to get serotonin, B12 and tyrosine
Favourite recipes

The tunes we play in the band, the tunes we’re playing next
The session tunes I ought to learn and the ones that I play best

What my BMI is and what it ought to be
Exercises, yoga and tai chi routines.
Healthy ways to make dopamine

All of the places I’ve lived and all of the jobs that I’ve done
The things round the house that I still need to fix
All of the essays I must edit or write
How much sleep and alcohol I had last night

And that’s a list-poem of all of my lists
Excepting, of course, the ones that I missed.

 

July 2023

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