Review

I have a review of POESY XXXIV at Todd and Theron Moore's "St Vitus" site. Follow the link on the right side of the page to read my words (if you haven't had enough of them here, you masochists).

New Email Address

I have a new email address. Anyone who wants to discuss, debate, offer payment for literary activity, arrange a sexual liaison, should now contact me at:

bruce.hodder@hotmail.co.uk

I await your fine barbs and words of wisdom.

All

All you want to be is a loudmouth on the same streetcorner for the rest of your life. How unimaginative. How unambitious. How obliging you are in the service of the cause of your oppressor, you damn fool.

new poem (of sorts)

I wrote this while high on Oust. Rimbaud never foresaw so much.

THE POET IS A SPY WHOSE COVER IS A FLIMSY ONE AT BEST
for robin easton, who knows

standing for a while
blowing on the wet socks
i'd hung over my door
to get them dry

i realised i was getting high
inhaling the oust i'd sprayed
everywhere to cover up the smell
of whatever smelled so bad

great lungfuls of it going down
preparing for the big blows
that would deliver me my socks.

in an hour i'd be at work.

CROW INK by Sharon Auberle

"Crow Ink" is Sharon Auberle's first book. And the fact that it's her first book shows what a lottery publication is in the poetry game, since she's really an extremely good, interesting, sensual, funny, intelligent, technically deft poet (and some with no talent at all infest the poetry magazines like cockroaches or summer flies).

I say forget the summer flies and beetle in her direction. I have been very remiss in not adding a link to her brilliant blog "Mimi's Golightly Cafe" and right now with only ten minutes left on the computer I can't remember the URL to help you get there (how great is MY journalism?) But if you follow Ralph Murre's link you'll find it. Then you can ask Sharon directly how to get hold of her book. There are no publication details nor any price listed on the book, at least that I can find, so you'll have to do it that way. And you should.

Avail yourself of her grace and wisdom.

The book's cover also has a lovely illustration by Ralph.

The Poem And The Pound

Worked a twelve hour shift at the day job yesterday. Retired to bed at 10pm not even in the mood to watch Chelsea on tv throwing away the best opportunity they've had all year to overhaul Manchester United in the Premiership title race. Every impartial observer in the country wants Man United to win because they play more attractive football. But last night I couldn't have cared less. And poetry was even further down the list.

It's hard trying to be a great literary figure and make a living in a tough job in one of the most expensive countries in the world. But I suppose I'm not alone in that, much as I would like to think I am. Sometimes your mind just isn't in that poetry space, and nothing you can do is going to put it there. So go home when you can, take off your shoes, open your first bottle and wait...

Readers

Well, thanks for the response to my query about readers, all. I note great poets, great photographers and a master journalist among you, so I'm sincerely flattered.

In case you haven't visited the other site lately, there's a new poem of mine called "mid-life" up there today, and a review I wrote at the beginning of the week of tom splake's new dvd "a day in the life". I know a few of you out there are splake admirers or even literary friends already, but if you haven't seen the film you should (as the young folk say) "check it out". You can track it down by clicking on the link here to splake at the Vertin website, and asking tks or his co-conspirator Jikiwe for purchase details.

Also received in the mail lately--I now have the princely luxury of a letterbox, though my mailman (who is either a poet, a drunk, or a fool--or like me, all three at once) posts my letters through every door in the village--but anyway, also received are books by Cornwall's Paul Tristram, and "Crow Ink" by the wonderful Sharon Auberle. I'll be saying more about both in the next posting here.

Has It Really Been Three Weeks?

God, I can't believe it's been so long since I posted here! Doesn't time fly, as the great wits of England say, when you're enjoying yourself?

But I'm a whore really, all claims to personal integrity aside. I tend to devote my limited time to the MySpace site because it has more readers. Judging by the feedback I get here, I have a glorious total of about four! (There have been more, but for some reason snuffling around in my murky little bog of a mind doesn't hold the attention of most people for very long.)

SUFFOLK PUNCH is my baby, though. It was my first internet site and it's the only one that's been namechecked in a printed book, as far as I know ( tom splake's beautiful "Artists of the Keweenaw", which I'll review when I find it). So I think I owe this page more loyalty than I've shown it lately.

Expect posts imminently. And if you enjoy the page--or if you hate it, but feel inexplicably compelled to come back and read it anyway--let me know. I'm interested to know who's out there.