Thanks very much to Katherine for bringing this gem to my attention for this week’s Dirty Monday Poem. It recently won the 2008 Poetry Society Stanza Poetry Competition. The theme of this year’s competition was ‘Sloth’ (the antithesis of the National Poetry Day theme of ‘Work’).
Daniel Craig: The Screensaver
…and when I fail to focus, when I tire,
he rises like a Christ newly baptised
in sky blue trunks, reminding me desire
will always lie in wait and be disguised
as men with healing hands and cute-cruel lips
and arms I’d die for should they ever press
too hard against my throat.
When water drips
from him the fish swim to his feet, confess
how happily waylaid they are, congeal
in spasmic foil and, even then, mouth how
the breeding pools upstream are no big deal.
Before my eyes bake white like theirs I vow
I’ll hit a key. Before I go berserk
I’ll kill him with one finger. Wake up. Work.
Richard Goodson, ak.a. dirtyfilthypoet, lives in Nottingham, U.K., currently working towards a PhD, and his first collection. He performs his work, leads writing workshops - and teaches Literature and Writing seminars at Nottingham Trent University. In his day job he teaches English language to asylum-seekers and refugees. Here’s his blog and his myspace page.
If you’ve got a suggestion for Monday’s dirty poem, don’t hesitate to get in touch…
