In considering
what can be thrown away,
make it the viral

pencil, not a
vote for those with lead in theirs
and other lies

about delivering.
And these are not for colouring in –
so, if within

red walls,
keep yours true and not fooled
by shades

of shadiness:
that politicking of the self,
their mates,

and cronies all.
‘Single-use’ is wonderfully woke, if
awake when you choose.

With thanks to IT for posting: read here.

(source: prompted by Edwin Morgan’s Nine One Word Poems, 1982, Mariscat Press – see original here)

(source: Edwin Morgan poem from Colour Poems, 1978)

Yesterday would have been Edwin Morgan’s 101st birthday and it marked the end of the Edwin Morgan Centenary celebrations. I was honoured to contribute to the Seculative Books The Edwin Morgan Centenary Collection (detals here).  The Morgan poem prompting mine above, and the others from his Colour Poems booklet, can be read here.

I have just ordered a facsimile copy of Edwin Morgan’s 1982 booklet nine one word poems from Essence Press (Julie Johnson). It looks wonderful and you can order for only £5 here.

(source: Word ‘Blue sky cover letter’ template)

(source: Word ‘Blue curve letterhead’ template)

(source: Word ‘Blue steps letterhead’ template)

This is a palpable production – as a physical thing with its handicraft in welcome evidence, and as a creative response to Covid/lockdown from the writer: this latter obviously conveyed in the resulting typed pages, but also as much by the author’s before/after commentary with its honest illumination on (intense) intention, process and outcome.

As Tom Phillips writes in March 2020, the purpose of this project was to ‘provide a focus each day’ in lockdown, and undertake the process of producing a ‘complete typewritten Coronavirus genome (29,903 characters)’ where, in using a typewriter, ‘I was able to touch it’. The tension between the increasingly apparent ‘meaninglessness’ of the typed genome characters on a page and how Phillips then further engaged with/experienced this (more physically typing, that repetitive process, a growing visual response) became the unfolding creative output. This is assessed and commented on when Phillips writes again about the conclusion of the project in March 2021.

I keep trying to articulate why I have enjoyed this booklet so much but have erased all attempts to do so as over-complication. The pleasure/reward is having the product itself, this palpable and well-produced ‘real’ response, completely devoid of any pretention because of Phillips’ honest statements about intention and then appraisal of the outcome.

You can too here.

(source: Word ‘Blue spheres letter’ template)

(source: Word ‘Blue grey resume’ template)