A Literary Life Poem by Laurence James Duggan

1

Listening to the Dandenong line trains
exploding detonators all day long,
hearing at one o’clock sharp
Blue Hills on the radio while eating
a strange mixture of coddled egg &
spices herbs & curry, & now
reading some of Pound’s letters to
Joyce, noticing my selected Browning lacking
Sordello & thinking I have paid
a miserable dollar twenty-five:
such fare!, I consider at times
my life a curious & amusing thing;
a play of passion never ending,
to relish every babe left on my doorstep.


2

Listening to the Dandenong line trains,
Blue Hills on the radio while eating,
reading some of Pound’s letters to
a miserable dollar twenty-five . . .
a play of passion never ending,
exploding detonators all day long;
a strange mixture of coddled egg &
Joyce, noticing my selected Browning lacking
such fare, I consider at times
to relish every babe left on my doorstep,
hearing at one o’clock sharp
spices herbs & curry, & now
Sordello, & thinking I have paid
my life: a curious & amusing thing.


3

Listening to the Dandenong line trains
to relish every babe left on my doorstep
exploding detonators all day long,
a play of passion never ending;
hearing at one o’clock sharp
(my life a curious & amusing thing)
Blue Hills on the radio while eating
such fare. I consider at times
a strange mixture of coddled egg &
a miserable dollar twenty-five,
spices herbs & curry, & now
Sordello & thinking I have paid,
reading some of Pound’s letters to
Joyce; noticing my selected Browning lacking.


4

Listening to the Dandenong line trains,
spices herbs & curry, & now
such fare, I consider at times
exploding detonators all day long,
reading some of Pound’s letters to
my life (a curious & amusing thing),
hearing at one o’clock sharp
Joyce, noticing my selected Browning lacking
a play of passion; never ending
Blue Hills on the radio, while eating
Sordello & thinking I have paid
to relish every babe left on my doorstep
a strange mixture of coddled egg &
a miserable dollar twenty-five.


Poet's Note: June 1971