Les in Real Life,
The book of Les’ s poetry just fell off the desk
onto the polished wood floor.
At 783 pages it created quite a bang.
The millipede on the wall twitched.
The fluff sausage dogs in the corner jumped.
Les in real life was as hefty as his ‘Collected’.
He wrote poems celebrating the fat, his tribe,
including Quintets For Robert Morley,
the bushy-browed, triple-chinned English actor.
with the plummy voice.
There’s nothing plummy about our Les’s poetry.
It is wide of girth as Les himself, capacious,
containing jokes, puns, outlandish rhymes,
skew whiff metaphors., and clever insights.
It is written in Aussie English.
I bent down, picked dear old Les off the floor.
No need to go to gym tomorrow
lugging Les around.,
John Malone 
I’m not familiar with this poet. But that is one hefty looking volume.
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you would not like all his poetry, Bob — I don’t know anyone who does — but the best of it, as in this collection, is warm, accessible, and linguistically ludic; there’s a bit of Les in you, Bob 🙂
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Thanks John. I’ll look up his work.
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read the two I recommended to Worms; they would be a good starter —
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Wow. Really good. I’ll be on the look out for any of his books.
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It’ll knock you sideways, Bob; it may even kick your posts up a notch; it’s worked for me 🙂
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I can see that happening! I’ll be checking the library, bookstores.
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A fine tribute to the Bush-bard, also once considered one of Australia’s Living Treasures, a man, who once explained that his composition of poems takes place in a trance: “…an integration of the body-mind and the dreaming-mind and the daylight-conscious-mind.” I love that! Otherwise, like Bob, I fear I’d never actually heard of Les. I’m hoping there’s a Canadian national treasure you haven’t heard of. No doubt. Great poem, John!
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sure; give me one or two; I’ll look them up if they’re online; I like discovering new voices; you’re one of them 🙂
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hey! I know she’s not a poet but isn’t Alice Munro Canadian? I’ve read all her short stories. ‘The Bear Came Over the Mountain’ would be in my top ten —
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She sure is! You may also know Margaret Atwood as a novelist – also a brilliant poet. Michael Ondaatje, another novelist poet.
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ahh yes, I’ve read quite a few of her short stories. I usually don’t read novels; I don’t have the patience but yes, Michael Ondaatje I’ve heard of; will look him up after the break —
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I think Michael Ondaatje wrote The English Patient which got made into quite a well known film. And we studied one of his at Uni – In The Skin of a Lion – and there’s a slightly more recent one set in Sri Lanka. He’s an amazing writer. I did a subject called Canadian Lit at Uni. Loved it. There’s another Canadian Author I like … Alice Munro.
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yes, he did ! I thought I recognized his name; you did Canadian Lit at uni? how wonderful; I could have but chose American Lit; to do both would have been a treat 🙂
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Ha ha. Our lecturer was a young guy from Quebec. Oops that sounds like the opening of a limerick. Anyway, he was enthusiastic and humorous but also had a very French Canadian twist on things which was kind of fun.
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hahaha; it does 🙂 sounds like you had a good time —
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Oh you had already mentioned Munro. Sorry. 😀
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If you don’t mind me joining in… what about Leonard Cohen? Isn’t he Canadian. I think his poetry is fabulous.
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I like people joining in, Worms; it adds to the zest; and yes, we forgot about Leonard; his poetry is fabulous —
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So cool that you joined the conversation – and that you took Can Lit! In the Skin of the Lion ranks as one of my all time favourite books. There is absolutely no forgetting Leonard Cohen. I managed to see him live in the 80’s. Then when he returned (came out of retirement so to speak) I caught him in a relatively small venue. It was a religious experience.
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sounds like a fun poet, big fun
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he sure is; died a few years ago; still studied in Aussie High Schools; he’s the gold standard for poets —
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I thoroughly enjoyed this, John. You have mentioned Les Murray a few times lately. I will have to borrow a book of his work or something. You have me quite interested to know more of his stuff. I like the affectionate way you speak of him.
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thanks Worms;I like most of his poems; two I draw your attention to apart from those mentioned in my post: ‘The Quality of Sprawl’ and the awkwardly named ‘It allows a portrait in line scan at fifteen’ about his autistic son,’ a remarkable poem. Both maybe online. I’ve said your poems have a little of Les in them; Have a read and tell me what you think —
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Just read (and listened to) “The Quality of Sprawl”. I loved the first 2 stanzas. I got a bit lost in all the references lower down. Not people or popular culture I was familiar with. And “Sprawl” as he defines it, is not a term I’m familiar with either. But I like the sound of it. Daring. Having integrity. Conviction without malice. Do you think it’s a term he made up or is it something you’ve come across elsewhere?
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no, I’m quite familiar with’ sprawl’ , the concept of spreading out, as in ‘urban sprawl’, but it also implies generosity of spirit, the sprawl’ in art, songs, for instance, Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, Guns and Roses’ ‘November Rain’, Stevie Wright’s ‘Evie’ which I’ve written about before in a lost called ‘Evie’. Being a farm bot though he tends to bring in rural references —
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Going by his picture, he does seem a handful. Enjoy the read and the work out, John. 🙂
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‘a handful’ is a good way to describe our Les; he could be a ‘prickly’ customer 🙂
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That sounds like one cuddly skew whiff guy! Must look him up. He’s lucky to have such a fun poem written about him!
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thank you; his poems are jaunty and ludic, though some can be dark —
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Sounds like a weighty tome for sure!
–Shay
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thanks, Shay ; I’ve put him aside for a while now: give my arms a rest 🙂
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I’m thinking your volume of poems may rival Mr. Murray’s! 😀
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thanks , Eden; I am becoming prolific as Les, though not as wide of girth 🙂
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What’s your favourite Les Murray poem? I haven’t read him since school.
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that’s easy: the one about his autistic son; it’s online: ‘It Allows a Portrait in Line Scan at Fifteen’ —
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