The Maths Tutor (Poetry Monthly)

Cherry

By Philip Sidney

Sat, 05 Dec 2015
  • 2996 reads
14 comments
 

How to   e s  c   a    p     e

halitosis and frac/tions

torture inflicted 

on a torpid brain~

scratching equations

at a desk + {(in a window) / over a gift shop}

         behind lies

his candlewick bedspread

wafting the scent of horror and de

                                                          sp

                                                                  air     

‘I was the headmaster of a reform school’

                     he spits though broken yellow teeth^^^

            and briefly muses on happier times

                               Victorian corridors

                               the smell of fear

                               power clenched

                               in a leather strap

                     Rules must be followed

              Orders and order and -

           something [=?]

will not add up in this

oddly intimate moment of irritation

then

numbers u n c o u p l e  ««  dance...out....of.......t  i   m     e

through ears and eyes and rounded msurpriseouths - out of the windoh!

tapping over car roofs...

       ...along drain pipes...

                     ...to sit with starlings 

on the roof opposite   +  before joining

the murmuration

     making new shapes

                          swooping  and rising

in  the    joy!  of

 

                                      freedom    

Certificate 12
Poem

Comments

Submitted by Bee on

This is so cleverly done, Philip. I found the lift off to freedom at the end exhilarating after what went before. Very visual in every way. Brilliant!

Bee

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thank you so much Bee!  smiley

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

You surely show how it is done, Helen. I am impressed by the clever and imaginative presentation of this thoroughly visual poem. Congratulations.

Luigi x

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

You are so kind Luigi.  :)

Submitted by Stephen Thom on

awesome. v sparky, visual feast, lovely diction carefully used, lovely word combinations...'candlewick bedspread/wafting' throughout, swelled to an uplifting finish.

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thank you so much Stephen. :)

Submitted by catherine poarch on

I'm  not up to speed with the poetry monthly but getting the gist of it. The words that lifted me were....starlings and murmuration! A joyful finish!

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thanks Catherine. :)

Submitted by VeraClark on

The blends in this are very effective. It feels so good to read and it's a visual delight to boot

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thanks Vera, I enjoyed the challenge. :)

Submitted by jeand on

Hi Helen

Yes, very cleverly done with lots of thought gone into how to present this.

Jean

Jean Day

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thanks Jean.:)

Submitted by forest_for_ever on

Your work never dissapoints and this clever piece of work is no exception.  I was taken back nearly fifty years to my own school days.  The line '(in a window)/ over a gift shop'  somehow reminded me of the long hours I spent staring out at the world instead of doing my maths work...

I realised as I read that the actual shape/use of font  made real sense to the poem and added to it's effect..

 

I loved it

 

Forest

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thank you so much Forest.  I loved to day dream then and still do.  :)