Alan Halsey

 

from
Ars Poetica:
The Tennis Court Oath


1

‘Some smudges 
on the front 
and back cover
of these reflections 
on how 
we see the world.’
‘Minor silverfish 
holes on 
front edge.’


2

‘The day of the week will not save you’
between 2 and 3 p.m. on the last
once signed
verses in a manner of speaking.
Top up your pond. Talk to your neighbour
Try numbers instead.
Count how many buckets of rain you can collect
once upon upon from a gutter the boys said
As to yourself
Remember that Numbers
used to mean Verses and that
day of August (repeat)
once forgotten they’d made shipshape.


3

A similar wiped
but smaller biped
sw. shuddering
p.28
o/w a nice crisp copy
w/ owner’s
signature & date.


4

From the first there was too much green
but there was also white. Milady’s
malady appeared to consist in believing
all the failed ones were fooled
and if transparent transplanted.
Another spot of green makes more than too much
and then there is the sea. As the violet glow
spread on Mount Hymettus (page 38)
Socrates at last drank the hemlock. Encomiums
tend to arrive like false economies
in twos and threes but not before
someone writes ‘place’ and means ‘palace’.
There is some yellow also but
generally speaking the green is excessive.