Reverie in Twelve Dimensions
If Beethoven had died a little earlier,
we would know nothing of his 9th.
A little later,
and we would all be humming
that wonderful theme
from the finale of his 10th,
and deploring its use
in advertising jingles.
What we don’t have
of Schubert!
If Goya’s mother
had not met his father!
If Romescu’s mother
had met his father,
and he had lived,
and written his amazing Cat and Mouse trilogy.
Our culture
is so much at the mercy of these trivial accidents
of time and place.
Most of all, of course,
I think sadly of my own works,
not written
because of such exigencies.
My Dorchester Miracle Play,
performed to spellbound audiences
throughout 14th century Europe;
my invention of the reverse sonnet,
dedicated to Gloriana;
the six libretti I did for Mozart;
my poignant First World War poems;
Lord Fanshawe’s Revenge;
the Noh drama
which took three days to perform
and which, through a happy chance
of cross-fertilisation,
influenced the Punch and Judy show
in ways
that would transform western literature.
Last, but not least,
and dearest to me,
I think of my Reverie in Twelve Dimensions,
published in 2388
and never out of print since.
Forgive me if I weep a little.
Page(s) 28-29
magazine list
- Features
- zines
- 10th Muse
- 14
- Acumen
- Agenda
- Ambit
- Angel Exhaust
- ARTEMISpoetry
- Atlas
- Blithe Spirit
- Borderlines
- Brando's hat
- Brittle Star
- Candelabrum
- Cannon's Mouth, The
- Chroma
- Coffee House, The
- Dream Catcher
- Equinox
- Erbacce
- Fabric
- Fire
- Floating Bear, The
- French Literary Review, The
- Frogmore Papers, The
- Global Tapestry
- Grosseteste Review
- Homeless Diamonds
- Interpreter's House, The
- Iota
- Journal, The
- Lamport Court
- London Magazine, The
- Magma
- Matchbox
- Matter
- Modern Poetry in Translation
- Monkey Kettle
- Moodswing
- Neon Highway
- New Welsh Review
- North, The
- Oasis
- Obsessed with pipework
- Orbis
- Oxford Poetry
- Painted, spoken
- Paper, The
- Pen Pusher Magazine
- Poetry Cornwall
- Poetry London
- Poetry London (1951)
- Poetry Nation
- Poetry Review, The
- Poetry Salzburg Review
- Poetry Scotland
- Poetry Wales
- Private Tutor
- Purple Patch
- Quarto
- Rain Dog
- Reach Poetry
- Review, The
- Rialto, The
- Second Aeon
- Seventh Quarry, The
- Shearsman
- Smiths Knoll
- Smoke
- South
- Staple
- Strange Faeces
- Tabla Book of New Verse, The
- Thumbscrew
- Tolling Elves
- Ugly Tree, The
- Weyfarers
- Wolf, The
- Yellow Crane, The