One Christmas I saved up and went to Heaven —
The biggest dive in England, under Charing Cross —
A three-tiered circuit ranged by packs of men,
And boys who came to dance. I ended up
In a basement somewhere off the Chepstow Road,
And woke to the first snow-fall of the year.
I came to London for a long weekend
And stayed; met someone famous who was kind,
And took a boring job in Portland Place.
I went, on summer nights, to Hampstead Heath,
Where pints of beer at Jack Straw’s Castle gave
To sex under the tents of holly trees —
Shadows of hands that flowered through the dusk:
No names, no contracts, but each parting hug
Was less a token of civility
Than an act of love.
Later, in Amsterdam,
In crowded cellars on the Warmoesstraat,
The rules were different — a more serious art,
Practised in uniform. The smell of leather
An aphrodisiac keen as the scent of leaves;
And still, the magic of indifference.
It still goes on — wherever hands can find
Response of hands; hold, in the hollow silence,
A tangible warmth, the heartbeat in the dark
Where death has entered, ringing the playground bell.
It hurts the ear. It echoes through the woods.
I stare at death in a mirror behind the bar
And wonder when I sacrificed my blood,
And how I could not recognize the face
That smiled with the mouth, the eyes, of death —
In Manchester, London or Amsterdam.
I do not hate that face, only the bell.
NOTES ON POETS
____________________________
J.r. Ackerley’s books include Hindoo Holiday (1932), My Dog Tulip (1956), We Think the World of You (i960) and the posthumously published memoir My Father and Myself (1968). He was Literary Editor of The Listener from 1935 to 1959.
Marc Almond is a singer best known for his recordings with Soft Cell, including ‘Tainted Love’ (1980).
Steve Anthony, a Gregory Award winner in 1987, edited Of Eros and of Dust (1992) and co-edited Jugular Defences (1994) with Peter Daniels.
John Ash is the author of The Goodbyes (1982), The Branching Stairs (1984), Disbelief (1987) and The Burnt Pages (1991). His Selected Poems appeared in 1996. He was born in Manchester, but has spent most of the past decade in New York.
C.p. Cavafy is one of the most celebrated and influential of modern Greek poets; he spent most of his life in Alexandria, the city inextricably associated with his work.
Robert Cochrane, born in Ireland, now lives in Manchester where he runs The Bad Press.
Steve Cranfield is a Londoner whose poems have appeared in Salt and Honey (with Martin Humphries, 1989) and in various anthologies.
Peter Daniels grew up in Birmingham and is publisher of The Oscars Press, for which he edited Take Any Train (1990) and coedited Jugular Defences (1994) with Steve Anthony; his own collections are Peacock Luggage (with Moniza Alvi, 1992) and Be Prepared (1994).
Roger Finch, who studied Music Theory at George Washington University and Near Eastern Languages at Harvard, teaches at Surguadai University, Saitama, Japan; his book of poems, According to Lilies, appeared in 1992.
Robert Friend, born in Brooklyn, settled in Israel in 1950 and taught English and American Literature at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He has published eight volumes of poetry, including Somewhere Lower Down (1980) and The Next Room (1995).
Dinyar Godrej grew up in Indore, India, and was educated at St Xavier s College, Bombay, and St Anne’s College, Oxford; his work appeared in Twentysomething (1992).
Thom Gunn was born in Kent and since 1954 has lived mostly in California. He has published nine collections of poems, as well as pamphlets and two collections of essays. His Collected Poems appeared in 1993.
John Heath-Stubbs is the author of numerous books of poetry — including Collected Poems (1988), Sweetapple Earth (1993) and Galileo’s Salad (1996) — and an autobiography, Hindsights (1993).
Adam Johnson was born in Stalybridge, Cheshire, and moved to London in 1984. His two collections of poetry, The Spiral Staircase (1993) and The Playground Bell (1994), appeared posthumously.
Francis King is a well-known, distinguished and prolific novelist who has also published a biography of E.M. Forster and edited the diaries of J.R. Ackerley; his less familiar poems were collected in a privately printed edition for distribution to his friends in 1996.
David Kinloch teaches at the University of Strathclyde; he is co-founder of the magazine Verse and author of Dustie-fute (1992) and Paris-Forfar (1995).
James Kirkups first collection of poems, The Drowned Sailor, appeared in 1947, but his reputation was established by The Prodigal Son (1959). A prolific translator, he has lived since 1977 mostly in Japan and Andorra.
Joel Lane was born in Exeter and grew up in Birmingham, where he still lives; his work has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies.
J.d. Mcclatchy, editor of The Yale Review, is the author of three collections of poems, a book of essays and several libretti.
Edwin Morgan taught at the University of Glasgow, retiring as titular Professor in 1980. His Collected Poems appeared in 1990 and his Collected Translations in 1996; his most recent book of poems is Sweeping Out the Dark (1994).
Tim Neave lives and works in Grimsby; his poems appeared in Twentysomething (1992).
Wilfred Owen, the major English poet of the First World War, was killed in action on 4 November 1918.
Sandro Pennas poetry first appeared in a comprehensive English translation in Remember Me, God of Love (1993).
Notes on Poets 239
William Plomer was born in South Africa but eventually settled in Sussex; his novels include Turbott Wolfe (1925), set in Africa, Sado (1931), set in Japan, and the quintessential^ English Museum Pieces (1952). His Collected Poems appeared in the final form in 1973.
Neil Powell is the author of four books of poetry, a novel, a study of contemporary English poetry and a critical biography, Roy Fuller: Writer and Society (1995). He lives in Suffolk.
Lawrence Schimel is the editor of over a dozen anthologies, and his own work has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies. He lives in Manhattan, where he writes and edits full time.
Michael Schmidt, born in Mexico and educated at Harvard and Oxford, has lived for the past twenty-five years in Manchester, where he runs Carcanet Press and edits PN Review as well as lecturing at the University. His most recent book is Selected Poems 1972-1997 (1997).
Quentin Stevenson has recently returned to poetry after a long silence since his first collection in 1957; he lives in London.
Stephen Tapscott is Professor of Literature at mit. He has published several books of poetry in the usa as well as translating Neruda and editing Twentieth-Century Latin American Poetry. His first collection of poetry to appear in Britain is From the Book of Changes (1997).
Ivor c. Treby is the author of Woman with Camellias (1995) and of poems in numerous magazines and anthologies.
R.M. Vaughan is the author of twelve plays and a collection of poems, a selection of dazzling scarves (1996). He lives partly in Toronto and partly in his native New Brunswick.
Paul Wilkins published his first book of poems, Pasts, in 1979. He lives in Derry.
Gregory Woods, who teaches at Nottingham Trent University, is the author of We Have the Melon (1992); his History of Gay Literature is scheduled for publication in autumn 1997.
Peter Wyles has published poetry in various anthologies; he lives in Hertfordshire.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
____________________________
The editor and publishers are grateful for permission to include the following copyright material.
‘After
the Blitz, 1941’ and ‘Missing’ by J.R. Ackerley: from Micheldever & Other Poems (Ian McKelvie, 1972), © 1972 The Estate of J.R. Ackerley, reprinted by permission of Francis King, Literary Executor.
‘The Puerto Rican G0G0 Boy’ by Marc Almond: from The Angel of Death in the Adonis Lounge (GMP, 1988), © 1988 Marc Almond, reprinted by permission of GMP Publishers Ltd.
‘Life Drawing’ and ‘A Good Fit’ by Steve Anthony: © 1997 Steve Anthony, by permission of the author.
‘Following a Man’ by John Ash: from Selected Poems (Carcanet, 1996), © 1996 John Ash, reprinted by permission of Carcanet Press Ltd.
‘XV’, ‘XLVIII’ and ‘XCIX’ by Catullus, translated by C.H. Sisson: from Collected Translations (Carcanet, 1996), © 1996 C.H. Sisson, reprinted by permission of Carcanet Press Ltd.
‘The Next Table’ by C.P. Cavafy: from Poems by C.P Cavafy, translated by John Mavrogordato (The Hogarth Press, 1951), © 1951 John Mavrogordato, reprinted by permission of Random House UK Ltd.
‘A Private View’ by Robert Cochrane: from Accepted Forms of Beauty in the West (The Bad Press, 1996), © 1996 Robert Cochrane, reprinted by permission of the author.
‘Give Me Back My Man’ and ‘Gym Class of ’67 (Summer of Love)’ by Steve Cranfield: from Salt and Honey (GMP, 1989), reprinted by permission of GMP Publishers Ltd; ‘The Testament’ by Steve Cranfield: © 1997 Steve Cranfield, by permission of the author.
‘Liverpool St’ and ‘Assessment’ by Peter Daniels: © 1997 Peter Daniels, by permission of the author.
‘Of Course I Do’ by Iestyn Edwards: © 1997 Iestyn Edwards, by permission of the author.
‘Effects’ by Richard Essenden: © 1997 Richard Essenden, by permission of the author.
‘The Rape of Ganymede’ and A Publicity Photograph’ by Roger Finch: from According to Lilies (Carcanet, 1992), © 1992 Roger Finch, reprinted by permission of Carcanet Press Ltd.
‘Robert’ by Forbes: from The Gay Journal, Number Two, © 1979.
‘Shirts’ by Robert Friend: from The Next Room (Menard, 1995), © 1995 Robert Friend, reprinted by permission of The Menard Press; from ‘The Teacher and the Indian’: © 1997 Robert Friend, by permission of the author.
Anyone could succumb ...’ by Dinyar Godrej: from Twentysomething (GMP, 1992), © 1992 by Dinyar Godrej, reprinted by permission of GMP Publishers Ltd.
‘San Francisco Streets’ by Thom Gunn: from Collected Poems (Faber, 1993), © 1982 Thom Gunn, by permission of Faber and Faber Ltd and Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc; ‘The Problem’ and ‘In the Post Office’: © 1992, 1997 Thom Gunn, by permission of the author.
‘In Memory’ by John Heath-Stubbs: from Galileo's Salad (Carcanet, 1996), © 1996 John Heath-Stubbs, reprinted by permission of Carcanet Press Ltd.
‘Unscheduled Stop’ by Adam Johnson: from New Poetries (Carcanet, 1994); ‘Early November’ and ‘The Playground Bell’: from The Playground Bell (Carcanet, 1994), © 1994 The Estate of Adam Johnson, reprinted by permission of Carcanet Press Ltd.
‘Holiday’, ‘The Address’ and ‘The Bank-Notes’ by Francis King: from The Buried Spring (privately printed, 1996): © 1996 Francis King, reprinted by permission of the author.
‘In Brompton Cemetery’ and ‘Bed’ by David Kinloch: © 1997 David Kinloch, by permission of the author.
‘Homo in Omnibus’ by James Kirkup: from So Long Desired (GMP, 1986), © 1986 James Kirkup, reprinted by permission of GMP Publishers Ltd.
‘Michel Foucault’ by Joel Lane: from Jugular Defences (Oscars Press, 1994), © 1994 Joel Lane, reprinted by permission of the author; ‘The Outline of a House’ and ‘Sandman’: © 1997 Joel Lane, by permission of the author.
‘After Ovid’ by J.D. McClatchy: from After Ovid, edited by Michael Hofmann and James Lasdun (Faber, 1994), © 1994 J.D. McClatchy, reprinted by permission of the author; ‘Late Night Ode’: © 1977 J.D. McClatchy, reprinted by permission of the author.
‘Epigram XI.8’ by Martial, translated by Anthony Reid, from Roman Poets of the Early Empire (Penguin, 1991), © 1991, reprinted by permission of the translator.
‘Christmas Eve’ and ‘Dear man, my love goes out in waves ... ’ by Edwin Morgan: from Collected Poems (Carcanet, 1990), © 1990 Edwin Morgan, reprinted by permission of Carcanet Press Ltd; ‘Tram-Ride, 1939 (EM.)’: from Sweeping Out the Dark (Carcanet, 1994), © 1994 Edwin Morgan, reprinted by permission of Carcanet Press Ltd.
‘Poem: L.M.C.’ by Tim Neave: from Twentysomething (GMP, 1992), © 1992 Tim Neave, reprinted by permission of GMP Publishers Ltd.
‘I lose myself... ’ by Sandro Penna: from Remember Me, God of Love, translated by Blake Robinson (Carcanet, 1993), © 1993 Blake Robinson, reprinted by permission of Carcanet Press Ltd.
‘Venetian Sonnets: XII’ by August Graf von Platen-Hallermünde, translated by Edwin Morgan: from Collected Translations (Carcanet, 1996), © 1996 Edwin Morgan, reprinted by permission of Carcanet Press Ltd.
‘A Casual Encounter’ by William Plomer: from Collected Poems (Jonathan Cape, 1973), © 1973 William Plomer, reprinted by permission of Random House UK Ltd.
‘The Difference’ and ‘Hundred River’ by Neil Powell: from The Stones on Thorpeness Beach (Carcanet, 1994), © 1994 Neil Powell, reprinted by permission of Carcanet Press Ltd.
‘Hampstead Notebook: The Boy with the Broken Arm’ by Quentin Stevenson: © 1997 Quentin Stevenson, by permission of the author.
‘Using the Poet’s Bathroom’ and ‘Palimpsest’ by Lawrence Schimel: © 1997 Lawrence Schimel, by permission of the author.
‘His father was a baker...’ by Michael Schmidt: from Selected Poems 1972-1997 (Smith/Doorstop Books, 1997), © 1997 Michael Schmidt, reprinted by permission of the author.
‘The Queens’ by Stephen Tapscott: from From the Book of Changes (Carcanet, 1997), © 1997 Stephen Tapscott, reprinted by permission of Carcanet Press Ltd.
‘Incident on the Central Line’ by Ivor C. Treby: © 1997 Ivor C. Treby, by permission of the author.
‘10 Reasons Why I Fall in Love ... ’ by R.M. Vaughan: from a selection of dazzling scarves (ECW Press, 1996), © 1996 R.M. Vaughan, reprinted by permission of the author.
‘My Tired Darlings’ and ‘Glasnost" by Paul Wilkins: © 1997 Paul Wilkins, by permission of the author.
‘A goatboy pissing ... ’ and ‘Andy’ by Gregory Woods: from We Have the Melon (Carcanet, 1992): © 1992 Gregory Woods, reprinted by permission of Carcanet Press Ltd; ‘Reconciliation’: © 1993 Gregory Woods, by permission of the author.
‘Beauty’ and ‘Bird Flight’ by Peter Wyles: © 1997 Peter Wyles, by permission of the author.
While every effort has been made to contact copyright-holders, the editor and publishers would be grateful to be notified of any errors or omissions in the above acknowledgements.
Ackerley, J.R. 107, 221
Alcaeus 88
Almond, Marc 71
Anthony, Steve 77, 168
Ash, John 63
Barnfield, Richard 22, 141
Brown, Horatio 105
Byron, George Gordon, Lord 191
Catullus 89, 90
Cavafy, C.P. 47
Churchill, Charles 185
Cochrane, Robert 230
Crabbe, George 187
Cranfield, Steve 125,163, 228
Daniels, Peter 62,165
Drayton, Michael 95, 137,177, 201
Dryden, John 180
Edwards, Iestyn 130
Essenden, Richard 113
Finch, Roger 38,149
Forbes 162
Friend, Robert 108, 144
Godrej, Dinyar 132
Gray, Thomas 204
Greville, Fulke 175
Gunn, Thom 57,147, 224
Heath-Stubbs, John 223
Herrick, Robert 100
Homer 197,198
Hopkins, Gerard Manley 103
Johnson, Adam 78,171, 234
King, Francis 37, 56,146
Kinloch, David 73,166
Kirkup, James 52
Lane,
Joel 76,169, 232
McClatchy, J.D. 111,151
Marlowe, Christopher 14,17, 19. 97
Martial 91, 92
Marvell, Andrew 178
Michelangelo 135
Morgan, Edwin 54, 110, 145
Neave, Tim 126
Nicholson, John Gambril 45
Owen, Wilfred 50, 106, 143, 194, 220
Penna, Sandro 51
Platten-Hallermünde, August Graf von 43
Plomer, William 48
Pope, Alexander 181
Powell, Neil 156, 228
Rochester, John Wilmot, Earl of 101
Schimel, Lawrence 81,172
Schmidt, Michael 154
Shakespeare, William 20, 21, 99,138,139,140, 203
Sidney, Sir Philip 13
Smart, Christopher 182
Solon 87
Stevenson, Quentin 59
Gay Love Poetry Page 16