A lonely man

Cherry

By seashore

Tue, 03 May 2011
  • 8905 reads
30 comments
 

So much I never knew
about the lonely Salford boy
hiding behind those primitive
matchstick men

How come I was so blind
to the intricacies of your work
the idiosyncrasies of your
characters and the stories

they told against towering
industrial backdrops
How did I see only crowds
without the spaces -

the uncluttered flake-whiteness
in between the shadow-less
folk; the unpolluted un-peopled
landscapes, seascapes

betraying the emptiness of you
and perhaps hinting at your
dark secrets - like the framed
Rosetti women who kept you

company at night as your pen
controlled your deformed Coppelia
marionettes, feeding your erotic
fantasies as you worked to the

tuneless rhythm of your clock-clutter
chimes - out of time, timed out
as eventually you were; until
rediscovered by your erstwhile

teenage namesake protegee,
now considering her own mortality
and priceless inheritance, for so
long kept tissue-wrapped far

from prying eyes, whilst the Tate
Gallery's disinterested keepers
continued to hide your rich pickings
in basement storage. Time, as your

clocks would tell you, to come out,
be shown, be free - unshackle the
genius of the secretive puppet-master,
the lonely Salford man I have only just
begun to know...

Certificate 18
Poem
Biography

Comments

Submitted by Silver Spun Sand on
What a beautifully detailed picture you paint of Lowry, Coral. I too, only recently, have come to really appreciate his work. Your poem, a fitting tribute to a great artist. Tina;-)

 

Submitted by seashore on
Thank you Tina - much appreciated.

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on
this is really fascinating! You've inspired me to go off and find out more myself.

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on
Hi seashore, you have really brought out the mystery of Lowry, in this wonderful portrayal of such a great painter. A very enjoyable and interesting read. Jenny.

 

Submitted by maisie on
Applause!! clap, clap!!

maisie angel Guess what?  I'm still alive!

Submitted by barryj1 on
Poetry and social commentary seldom go well together, but this works just fine. It takes a delicate touch; you've got a delicate touch. Great poem!

barryj1

Submitted by Highhat on
I know nothing of Lowry but I liked your poem ;)Pia

Submitted by ScoZen on
Seashore, hello. Well done on the cherry. I understand that all will be revealed soon to the world. His hidden "...Rossetti woman..." And I hope you are still painting? ps I have a Lowry 'sailing boat' print plus a Rossetti. 'La Bella Mano ' Both delightful
ScoZen

Submitted by JoseHdz on
well done. congrats on the cherry. well deserved! -Jose

Submitted by seashore on
Many thanks insert, Jenny, Maisie, Barry, Pia and Jose for your heart-warming comments. I really wasn't sure about this though it was one I worked really hard on (many drafts) and delighted to know I managed to get there eventually. Most grateful to you all. I was inspired to write this after seeing a Channel 4 documentary `Perspectives' - narrated by Sir Ian McKellan who hails from Lowry's neck of the woods. I never paid much attention to Lowry's work before but now I've been re-educated. Andrew Lloyd Webber presented this week's programme which co-incidentally featured the Pre-Raphaelites. ScoZen - I don't do much of my own art work these days for many reasons though I would like to. Many thanks for the cherry editors!

Submitted by barryj1 on
Back in the late sixties the poet, Denise Levertov, used to write political poetry as artistic commentary against the war in Vietnam. The 'social consciousness' shlock didn't work. She got too shrill and strident and, no matter that she had an international reputation as one of the major poets of the day, the poems were hackneyed and dumb. You poem works because of your love of the craft. The honesty takes precedent over the more social or historical aspects and that's why it succeeds so well. Sorry if I tend to get long-winded, but I was thinking of the Levertov poem as I was reading yours which was far better and succeeded where hers failed miserably.

barryj1

Submitted by Overthetop1 on
An extremely well written and evocative poem & congrats on the cherry.

Overthetop1

Submitted by seashore on
Please don't apologise for being long-winded, Barry, as I appreciate your knowledge of writing and writers. It's really interesting what you say about Denise Levertov as she is one of my favourite poets so to be told my poem worked and just why it did is very encouraging to me. I must check out DL's Vietnam poems as I'm not too familiar with those. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment again.

Submitted by seashore on
Thanks very much OTT.

Submitted by fatboy74 on
I caught the pre-raphelite one and enjoyed it despite the facial expressions of Andrew Lloyd Webber - missed the one with Lowry, I knew Albert Finney was from Salford but didn't realise Mckellan was also a Lancastrian. Never really thought about Lowry too much, he was just always on the wall when growing up - not sure why we had scenes of the industrial north on the walls, all we had to do was look out of the window. Very much enjoyed this seashore particularly 6 and 7 - tuneless rhythm of your clock-clutter chimes - out of time - is rather wonderful. :-)

 

Submitted by seashore on
Thanks fatboy - appreciate your feedback. I know what you mean about Andrew LW. Noel Gallagher also contributed to the Lowry programme and provided some interesting observations also. I was surprised at the impact it had on me as I had never really thought much about Lowry either - can't remember what was on our wall growing up, oh yes I can - a painting of Bristol Suspension Bridge!

Submitted by hilary west on
I agree with all the compliments above. Great poem of imagination.

 

Submitted by seashore on
Thanks so much, hilary.

Submitted by seashore on
Thanks so much for reading and commenting and picking out my `best bit', jib.

Submitted by Geoffrey on
I know of Lowrie through his paintng but none of his personal life. All personal lives of poets seem to inspire great work. Certainly true in your case.

Submitted by seashore on
Thanks so much for that Geoff.

Submitted by RachelPatricia on
Just brilliant, Coral - your fascination with art is rubbing off on a lot of us! Watched Antiques Roadshow a bit ago and somebody had brought in a serviette Lowry had doodled on - apparently he sketched it in a working men's club to keep a child entertained, which I thought was beautiful. I don't know too much about the lonely Salford man, other than that his paintings always draw my eye and that the story behind each one, and of the man himself, captivates me. A lovely, well crafted tribute to one of the North's greatest treasures - well done, though I have you to blame for the song that won't leave my head now...'matchstick men and matchstick cats and dogs', or something like that! Who wrote/sang that, do you know? I can't even remember how it goes now! ;oD Rachel xx

Submitted by seashore on
What a lovely long comment, Rachel. Interesting about the serviette doodle - I didn't know that. Yes I'm a recent convert to Lowry since watching the `Perspectives' documentary with Ian McKellan and Noel Gallagher - really interesting stuff. Re the song - I know it's one of those annoying ones that won't leave you alone - I had to google it and it was by Michael and Brian.....I thought it was someone much more famous. Never heard of them, not that I can remember - have you? Maybe someone else recorded it too. Anyway thanks for reading and for the chat. Coral x

Submitted by phase2 on
There used to be a big Lowry print at the dentist's waiting room. It's the best thing I've seen for taking your mind off injections and drills. I liked "clock-clutter" it's exactly right. I could try to spell that word which begins with o and sounds like it should mean a squish of guache but actually means words sounding like their meaning. But I won't

 

Submitted by seashore on
Hello again, thanks for reading through my stuff - what a compliment. I know the word you mean but my mind is a blank - oh no it isn't onomatapoea (but I know that spelling is totaly wrong!!). Something like that anyway

Submitted by TVR on
Hi seashore. This is another one I've stumbled upon while browsing. I may not always comment on your work (as you know, it's impossible to keep up with everyone when time is against you) but I read yours quite a lot. It is always excellent, and this one has great insight and a wonderful take on Lowry's work. I love your viewpoint and cherries well-deserved. Sorry I'm late with this comment. Best wishes. sue

TVR

Submitted by TVR on
Hi seashore. This is another one I've stumbled upon while browsing. I may not always comment on your work (as you know, it's impossible to keep up with everyone when time is against you) but I read yours quite a lot. It is always excellent, and this one has great insight and a wonderful take on Lowry's work. I love your viewpoint and cherries well-deserved. Sorry I'm late with this comment. Best wishes. sue

TVR

Submitted by seashore on
sue - it's always nice to have feedback and especially nice when it's an older piece! I appreciate that you look out for my work and know what you mean - it's impossible to keep up with as many pieces as one would like. Many thanks for the compliment - it means a lot.

Submitted by Turlough on

Your words describe this man and his work beautifully.

All three of my grown up kids have lived at Salford Quays at some point during the last ten years so I've made several trips to the Lowry Gallery, seeing those paintings in a different light with each visit. From a distance they can be easily written off but close up it's obvious how much work has gone into making them masterpieces.

An interesting but tormented man who made the most of what was around him in terms of materials and subject matter. It was sad to hear what happened to his house upon his passing. A potential museum torn apart in days. It's also sad to see that large tracts of inner Manchester and Salford bear the same desolate landscapes today.

Turlough

Submitted by seashore on

Thanks x