Lennon Triptych (CTG)

Hello all

Well I didn't make it into the slam final of the Liverpool Lennon Performance Poet Slam Final to be held in Liverpool on November 6, boo hoo. Finalists have just been announced. In any case, here now is the full three-part poem.
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Lennon Tryptich
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I. O, Johnny-O

O, where have you gone, Johnny-O!
Where have you gone, O, Lennon-O!

You left us too soon, so long ago
-- although we saw you, back then,

in the clubs of Liverpool: the Cavern,
at the Mardi Gras, at the Jacaranda,

or else supping with your mates in Ye Cracke
or The Grapes. Aye, lad, we grooved

hearing you, O Johnny lad, as you stood
with your legs-apart stance,

thrumming your old '58 Rickenbacker geeee-tar,
raunchily singing for us, mugging

for the birds.... oh, what a flirt!
Oh, aye, we know what took you away:

Sex, drugs....... and, yeah yeah yeah,
Rock and roll! Segs, dregs, and drool.

"The Smoke" drew you from us -- a date
with fame. The world yearned for you,

you and your mates. And you and Paul had a ditty
or two or three to write, anthems for the universe,

for better and for worse. O, such dead-on lyrics!
Said so much -- dead good, yeah, as any poet's verse,

the sound of your generation... and who will
deny that you two Scousers often said it best?

Aye, but we were your fans first
-- in the damp and grimy streets

of the 'Pool, within hearing
of the foghorns on the river.

O, Johnny-O, you were a giver and taker!
Listen to that Managua-bound freighter!

O, Lennon-O, you left your mark on us
-- and Liverpool left its mark on you.
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II. Julia

I stand over Julia's grave
in Allerton Cemetery, sense
some of what you're about:

an unmarked grave, just like my
great grandmother's in this same
cemetery; faded teddy bear tribute.

The night that the car took Julia
away from you, liquor stinking
on the off-duty cop's breath.

Julia -- knickers on her head
-- adult and child all in one.

Leather-clad rocker's mum gone
but not! -- not! -- not forgotten!

No room for sentiment, except
in your songs -- somehow;

the girls scream anyhow.
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III. Here and Yet Not Here

strawberry gooseberry
strawberry gooseberry
strawberry gooseberry

walrus
songs for us
listen to the chorus

strawberry gooseberry
strawberry gooseberry
-- sirens in the night

broken spectacles
flecked with blood

Here and yet not here

rags to stem the blood
rags to stop the bullets

Here and yet not here

The same greased-back hair
the same leather jacket
sweat on the ceiling of the Cavern
rocking in the warren
rocking in the womb

Here and yet not here

Something else inside
something else driving
the gum-chewing ted
slouched against
the smoke-black wall.

Here and yet not here

Not just a snide word
a mouth full of knuckles
circles encircle eyes
crazed squiggled figures
words encircle thoughts
in a Lear-nonsense tongue

Here and yet not here

Inside the black leather
behind the hard eyes later
dreams from one to nine
a dream of guns stuffed with rags
quiet over the fields of war

Here and yet not here

One of four singing love
to the virgin world
yet the orphan the poet
the renegade for peace

Here and yet not here

Christopher T. George

Well done Chris, and thanks for posting. :handclap:

Very good, all different in style to each other yet related. I really liked the tryptich approach, and trying to reconcile the paradox of being there, and not being there. Also there's a surrealness behind Julia's accident [knickers' on head] which seems oddly apt and fitting, given her troubled relationship with John.

You must be interested in viewing the other poems submitted? Are they intending to eventually publish them all?

Daz

Thanks, Daz. Yes of course I am curious about the other poems that are being recognized in the competition. I recently became more active again in terms of sending my poetry out for publication. I have a poetry collection under consideration in one contest and have submitted some separate poem to different places. I might try the Lennon Triptych in either a magazine or as part of a collection. Thanks again for your interest and encouragement, Daz. It's most appreciated!

Chris

You're very welcome Chris, I enjoy reading them. :PDT11

'Knickers on head' - not aware of this reference... Is anyone going to explain?

Julia's antics.

Among the more notable examples was the time she met the two boys in public, wearing a pair of knickers (bloomers) on her head in place of a scarf. Pete Shotton remembers, "They were the old-fashioned kind of knickers, you know, so the legs were hanging down over her back. People were staring, but she was just so cool about it, it was hysterical!

Well, interesting poems and good stuff.

Brilliant ! :PDT11 I don't know how I missed this post Chris. Hadn't seen it before.

Thank you, April and Lindy.

Cheers

Chris :PDT_Aliboronz_24: