I posted an earlier version of this long poem project in Fb a few months ago. It contains lots of Asian and specifically Malaysian references. I haven’t put them all into italics, as life is seen aslant in this piece enough oredy. Some are from COVID lockdowns while others have been updated in the last week. If the Windows 5 reference strikes you as ancient, read the preceding line again with a French translator's hat on.
I'm leaning heavily on a form and a particular poem created by Irish poet Paul Muldoon. In keeping Muldoon’s rider line on each stanza, “I give way to you”, I've appropriated Muldoon’s trope while also allowing for the spiritual sort of reading which has long-since given way to that of pop psychology’s “letting go”. To nobody in particular, which might come round to meaning all of us.
I haven’t tried to follow the eccentric rhyme scheme of Muldoon's in each stanza: line 1 with line 5, line 2 with 7 and line 6 with 8. It was enough of a challenge to land it where it is! Some of the connections attempted in these lines make sense “only” tangentially, though with a focused, accelerated reading, even, I hope a cumulative effect kicks in as more of the poetic synapses catch.
As a sort of jumble sale (Western ref; bundle shop in Malaysia) of a poet’s best and worst lines reimagined, I’d recommend writing a shorter version of this as a form to try for anyone wishing to break through their temporary block. If you wonder how to get started, try swapping in some of your stuff, your preoccupations, with mine or Paul Muldoon’s and let it run. Try stating the opposite of some of the existing exaggerations and tomfoolery to make something you can build on.
After it lets you go you’ll wonder how you got away from it.
As If
With apologies to Paul Muldoon, who is certainly no dull moon.
As Trump and Vance give way to Gvir
and Gaza gives way to the unreal estate
and unprecedented gives to unpresidented
and felony’s gate gives way to Elongate
and the West Bank gives way to the worst sort of spoonful
and Banksy gives way to the liquidator
and political power vacs are Dyson with death
and Keir Starmer gives way to steer calmer,
I give way to you.
& & & & &
As sambal gives way to the sweet chilli sauce
and killing parrots gives way to peeling carrots
and wake-up call gives way to cake up the wall
and the wish-dasher gives way to dishwasher
as blood fender gives way to food blender
and ‘Message sent’ gives way to sausage meant
as the metal sausage sends a subtle message
and ‘Your quiche is my woman’ says your wish is my command,
I give way to you.
& & & & &
As creative commons gives way to AI
and “Eh you” gives way to Why you or I
and Harry Potter gives way to Lyra Belacqua
and the Seine gives way to something insane
and Air Selangor gives way to the movement of water
and slang or accent give way to clear flow,
and summat gives sway to the summit,
and the summit gives sway back to summat or other,
I give way to you.
& & & & &
As breaking news gives way to snakeskin brews
and snake oil gives way to virgin cold pressed
and Nike’s tick gives to Tiktok tactics
and real life gives way to Instagrin clicks
and frolic and detour give to Dulwich and Freetown
what Moy sand and gravel give to muy grand and swivel
and Songs of Experience waves to Bowie’s Blackstar
and Brexit gave way to its reckless wreckers
I give way to you.
& & & & &
That ‘eco’ gives way to shallow echoes
while Fox News gives way to fox’ sake
and Pete gives way to peat’s sake
and our arse ache gives way to all of our sakes
and it all gives way to the way to go
and cod gives way to cod knows whose sake
and the pattern gives way to the carpet
and the cat turns around and turns up its nose,
I give way to you.
& & & & &
As getting low gives way to letting go
and Delta blues gives way to dealt a blow
and I can’t breathe gives way to anuloma villoma
and the dead give way to the living
and worlds of pissdom yield pearls of wisdom,
and TV gives way through the various Tubes
and ‘I guess’ gives way to peak approximation
and the Manor of Speaking to the Spanner of Mekong, oh
I give way to you.
& & & & &
As irrelevance gives way to resonance
and Viagra gives way to tongkat ali
and the Klang back alley to Jalan Petani
and woken, spurred gives way to spoken word
and Phui Nam Wong gives way to Deborah Wong
and Wordsworth gives way to viewsworthy
poets, and Cinque Fenetre to Frank Sinatra
via Windows 5, I give way to you.
& & & & &
As Mataji Streetings gives way to strategy meetings
and crooks and nannies give way to nooks and crannies
as pins & needles give way to nuns & poodles
as bind the phalanx gives way to finding the balance
as drastic plop-off gives way to plastic drop-off
and revolution in the heart gives to evolution in our art
and “art is anal” gave way to artisanal
and fish out of water gave way to a wish out of father
I give way to you.
& & & & &
As roadblocks give way to giving way
as caution gives way to the cushion
and this cushion gives way to discussion
as aspirin gives way to aspiration
and discursive thought waves through all that it ought,
and the ground of emergence gives way to groundlessness
and neuroses give way to new roses
and breakneck speed gives way to breakthrough stillness –
then – now, here – I give way to you.
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