Monday 31 October 2022

Poem: 'In The Garden With Peter Green And His Sea-Lion'

 



IN THE GARDEN WITH PETER GREEN 
AND HIS SEA-LION/ 
THE GREEN MANALICHI WITH 
THE TWO-PRONGED CROWN 

(Peter Green was the original guitarist and 
guiding intelligence behind Fleetwood Mac, 
currently rehabilitating mind & music)

 

hic 

“it’s my sea-lion” says Peter Green, 
“my pet sea-lion coming through” 
& he hiccups again 

here in the garden, 
apocalyptic omens ripple 
in crowding shadows, 
here at the still centre of rage, 
all is flat, calm, & 
scoured to bone 

it’s only the dark places 
that suggest endless nights 
boiling with madness 
Blues and acid 

hic 

“sometimes your life 
changes direction” says Peter 
“like a fish” 

& you cross the line, 
a line of fire drawn sweet 
and oversweet, but here, now 
beyond this savage quiet sky, 
on the rim of sanity, I hear 
the sound of galaxies colliding 
in those strange nights of 
paradox and betrayal 

but here in the garden 
the lilac ripples, gently 
creating and destroying 
monstrous shadows 

“sometimes they throw me a fish” 
says Peter Green, “a red herring 
...what is a red herring 
...a dead herring... “ 
& he hiccups again 

hic 



Published in: 
‘TEARS IN THE FENCE no.22: Spring 1999’ 
(UK – March 1999) 
‘BOGG no.71’ (USA/ UK – June 2002) 
Featured online at: 
‘PRESSURE PRESS PRESENTS’ (25 July 2017)  
Collected into: 
‘TWEAK VISION: THE WORD-PLAY 
SOLUTION TO MODERN-ANGST CONFUSION’ 
Alien Buddha Press (USA – March 2018)




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