Wrecks

(nine variations on and for Simon Howard)

1.

imaginary as imaginary

now as shrubbery

now & shrubbery

suburb & suburb

2.

what is said

what will be is said

any will be secret

any the secret, slow the trudge

slow trudge

3.

late afternoon

late the afternoon weather

the clearing weather clearing

4.

mow the moon mow

burn the moon & burn

salve & salve

5.

everyone prepares everyone to dance

prepares another to dance

time another strolled by

time the river strolled by the river

6.

fixed clouds

fixed, moving, clouds

earth moving earth

7.

where the moon is

where the blank moon is

the blank stars

the stars

8.

with clouds

& with flowers

clouds & torn flowers

wing torn wing

9.

to solidify and to solidify

songbirds and whispered songbirds

my whispered deletions

my deletions

This poem is a set of variations on 'Wrecked', a book of poems by Simon Howard published by Oystercatcher Press. Simon died in December 2013.

'Wrecks' uses a method I call PAGE2. This method has been formalised as a computer program. It is basically a text manipulation/generation algorithm.