Questions

Questions is a collaboration by Lucy Kempton and Joe Hyam. Poems are based on questions drawn from an agreed starting question and formed by answers, which contain and inspire the next questions. In response to Lucy's first question, Joe kicks off. This follows our earlier work in Compasses, archived here, where Lucy's photographs illustrate Joe's series of 50 sonnets under the title Handbook for Explorers.

Sunday 17 May 2009

What have you heard?

What have I heard?
That people talk to keep the unknown out.
I've heard their voices,
Low and monotonous,
Nervous in the dark; heard a woman sing
Of love as cruel and old as tigers;
Heard the shingle shift beneath my feet
As each wave breaks;
Heard empty cans kicked down the street;
Heard the waters flowing past
The unblinking eye of the crocodile
Fast contained in silence.
Today, I heard the new year break
Out from the old with a cry;
Heard a door open and close.
What are you waiting for?

5 comments:

Roderick Robinson said...

I note the irresistible return of the crocodile - an opportunity. perhaps, to use that wonderfully related adjective "saurian".

Lucy said...

A crocodile swims through it!

Anonymous said...

lucy!
this is a fabulous idea!
im delighted going through the older poems. what a great idea!! its making me want to do a series like this too. and its cool that you're responding to each other and... just a wayyy cool project!
and the poems are fabulousness too

June Saville said...

Stay quiet awhile and one hears so much ...
My favourite is being in the Australian bush, listening listening.
June in Oz

The Crow said...

(o)