The Great Dark Man

Quentin Crisp, once a hero of mine,
used the phrase 'The great dark man'
to describe the close relationship
he had in which he proved to be most mistaken
and when he wrote about it he was alone,
and writing from self sufficient hindsight.

There was no longer any great dark man;
he had gone, but with the phrase coined
to describe the very idea of him
he had made himself known.

Many of us will have memories of men
who in their vehemence once impressed us,
and who when we saw their true nature
we tried to resist them with all our might,
but we were unwillingly overwhelmed.

Their relationship to us, father, priest brother,
or the strangers that we meet did not matter
beyond the access it gave them to us
where we don't know how to refuse them,
or strike the right light note, the best deal
on how and what we wanted to be known for.

Only when they are gone
can we can be like Quentin
became in his splendid isolation,
and say that these characters
are like pure love
-mythical and beyond real.

How To Get Yourself A Self Image

that will last:-follow the poet who will help you
see yourself the way they see their world-
from inside out and sideways on, that breathes
in quiet open spaces, who's writing you can follow.
Through the lenseof their poetic sensibility
they will reveal a different self to you than the one
you would find, unaided, for yourself, each time you ask.
Each time you ask, the answer will change.
Always resist doing as your family want,
find the self that fits you best and keeps on
changing-there is no substitute for that person.