GAS Featured Poet: Arthur Broomfield

 

Dr. Arthur Broomfield is a poet and Beckett scholar from County Laois, Ireland.  His works include The Empty Too : language and philosophy in the works of Samuel Beckett [Cambridge Scholars’ Publishing 2014], three full collections of poetry, Cold Coffee at Emo Court [Revival 2016] The Giants’ Footsteps at the Rock of Dunamaise [Revival 2019] and Ireland Calling [Revival 2020]. Arthur has been a featured poet in Krysia Jopek’s Diaphenous Micro.

Fudge

Today I want to thrash those dandelions,

the colonising buttercups, glaring at me,

the ironic beauty of the milk thistle.

I won’t dig the dun earth

with my heavy-duty mattock

or disturb the sad soil

with the spade bought for the event.

Today I’ll walk in slow time

down the bog lane,

I’ll pick a bunch of prickly furze,

purple foxgloves, meadowsweet,

listen to the double bass coo coos

of the woodquest,

the dirge from the rookery,

and carve your name on the flagstone

where you used to lie on hot days.

I’ll sanctify the spot

with scents from our walks,

sip sparkling water

and wait for the dawn chorus,

the morning star.