Tentatively, Convenience's Reviews > Humour: Poems 1984-5

Of course, getting a bk from its author flavors my perception of it. I remember things like my impressions of the person & the conditions under wch I receive it. Paul was the roommate of my friend Mark Pawson. If I recall correctly, I slept on their couch one nite in London in 1994 when I was passing thru town in connection w/ a band I was touring w/. Mark was mad at me b/c a few yrs before he'd stayed at my place in Baltimore & the fold-out bed I'd made available to him was uncomfortable - as such, I was treated to a sofa too small for me or some such. I didn't really care but that became a part of receiving this bk. The back cover picture is of a sink covered w/ dirty dishes that spill over to the adjacent stove - a picture a roommate might take as evidence of something to complain about or as something to laugh about.

I remember Paul as pleasant, intellectual, 'unassuming'. A person naturally inclined to live in a world of bks. But what do I mean by 'unassuming'? Unremarkable? Unpretentious? More the latter - someone w/ a gentleness, humor.. or humour. The 1st poem reads:

"Hands spanned, to cup
the wind - in
spring-season, when
leaves grow green
for your crowning, queen."

I suspect that Paul likes poetry in a way I don't, that he feels comfortable in such simple verses - as if there's no need for the words to be anything more.