part IV: London

 

The saddest place on earth

is the London Underground
Green Park Station
where I transferred on to
the Piccadilly
take me to the circus,
get me out of this bomb-
shelter/death trap
not so much a maze
as a prison.

Then,
on the exit
London’s pretty architecture
its 100-year-old theatres,
the blinking lights
and advertising,
standing before the Statue of Eros
my old buddy
Chris G. from university
the theatre club.

We hug.
Then seconds later,
my head spins
there he is: Valentine!
“how are ya?”
He's doing well,
as usual,
always living the fast-lane
living the dream,
this kid,
and what were the chances
we’d all meet here
in London
(so far from Australia,
no? Only the opposite
ends of the globe, s’pose)

 

For chance, or destiny
we drank that night
a toast to our lives
thus far and yet to be
winding, and turning
unpredictably, and hardly
within our control
or so it feels like it
sometimes
(always).

 

Then we pass
the Harold Pinter
the Soho, State
and Drury Lane
with spice and rum
on our lips
eyes darting wildly
as the steps of crowds
of all Europe
trod pass in
controlled chaos.

 

We talk Beckett
old days
new plays
our teacher and mentor
Steve Chinna, the wonderful
and how we will
plan out the future
of the arts, given
we had control
(and money)
or just dream,
make-believe,
fantasise
the carry on
hopefully find enough strength
to overcome the crushing
weight of mediocrity.
So the night goes on
tequila run!
so the night goes on
tequila! tequila!
then we move on
next bar
different topic
talking without stopping
always chatting along
like caged toucans
squawking at each other
to the sounds
of rushing trains
the tube
is as always
packed and messy
and claustrophobic and dense,
thick air filling his lungs,
an abandoned newspaper
passing through three sets of hands.

The final
voyage
of the night
Turnpike Lane
the Turkish quartre
is black with a hostile vibe
at night
sounds coming from down the road
where an estate
glaunts
in the abysmal night
menacing and faceless
characteristic
of industrialised societies
like these,
London.

This I the place to be.

 

Author's Note

while i was staying in Berlin I took a brief trip to London to see another friend who was living there. it was an incredible 48 hours but there a few places in this city that felt seedy and dangerous. i absolutely loved london an wish to go back but it is a place of contrasts and contradictions.

Reviews

[Lorry]

I always feel like Charlie, the mouse in flowers for algernon when in the London underground and yes, it does feel like a death trap and was used as bomb shelters during the war. (I don't think everyone got the memo that it's over now)
It is a completely different place at night depending on locations and think it's world within a city vibe works great there.
I don't believe the hype that londonders are stand-offish, because you have so many people from over the world living there now that's been diluted to the old school generation who aren't for change despite being in the midst of it.
Its like a big melting pot these days and all the better for it.
But beware, there are some places that if they were on a pirate map of old, would have a skull and crossbones, with a "here be beasties" warning! 😃

[Ern M. Yoshimoto]

absolutely love this comment coming from a local. yes, the way you describe this place matches my experience. i actually met a ton of people - very friendly, it is really my kind of scene. and the diversity is amazing. this was written pre-Brexit so it really felt like the world's meeting point.
as for the dodgy areas... it comes with the area. still a beautiful city in my view. when i went it was right after the olympics so a lot of work had been done in East London, it was actually nice. that said, some places are out of the government's reach (or is it a lack of trying?) and i steered clear away.
p.s thank you for mentioning flowers for algernon - that book made me want to become a writer.

[Lorry]

It's one of my favourites too. 😃

[Eilis]

These old cities have all the sides of humanity, I think. They’ve witnessed so much over time that it’s hard not to imagine them full of both light and darkness. We imagine them growing with our societies—and they do—but also they still hold the past within their bellies and that energy is palpable.

I really like the dynamic here. I love James Joyce and Sam Beckett — well, many Irish writers — and for me you capture some of that spirit in this poem. I found myself thinking of the energy of some of Joyce’s stories or even Ulysses with the mood you capture in the romp about town with friends.

There’s something about the energy they feel when together that we recognize they maybe don’t feel on their own. It takes me back to the optimism or idealism of youth. When we feel we might actually be able to conquer the world. When our minds meet other minds and we feel bolstered by that shared understanding. I really like that dynamic. It felt somewhat manic like everyone walking and talking together and it is a tangible energy. A buzz. An improvised jazz collaboration.

I like how that filters down into the more observational ending where the city takes on a somewhat sinister slant. The darkness lends its own personality to everything. The deadness of the industrial alongside the sound space it can take up can create a landscape of its own that makes deep impressions on the imagination. I really enjoyed this one, the action and the contrasts. Good stuff.

[Ern M. Yoshimoto]

thank you Eilis. im very glad you enjoyed this. this one was written on one of my good days - the city really brought out the best in me, and the best of life. i loe the theatre and i even got to watch a show on the west end while here.
the story this place tells is fascinating. Chris G was quite knowledgable about the local history and we walked winding roads as he commented on various things that happened.
modern london is its own story. the poverty and crime are genuinely terrifying, and its so strange that some of the most beautiful streets ive ever seen are just a few stops on the tube away from the seediest. and i thought while writing that i am like that - full of light and dark, contradictions, capable of turmoil, but also ecstasy.
i do not hold a candle to Joyce but Beckett was a big inspiration for me.
as always, i really appreciate your sharp observations and well-thought out reviews.

[Sami Khalil]

I like your details of this marvelous city of contrasts and contradictions indeed. I always like to see, stroll historic cities that has might and power, that shaped world history with all it has to offer. I have a friend here who travels along with his wife once a year to see London; he lived there long ago before migrating to the States.
You take us back to your mini adventures and highlight your likings and disliking in them.
Awesomeness you are!

[Ern M. Yoshimoto]

it is an incredible city and one i would love to revisit. it is very strange how beauty and brutality can exist side-by-side. yet this trip was marked by rekindling of old friendships and a heightened sense of wonder induced by my frenetic mental state. i enjoyed this part of the trip most and i hope you will continue to read the next chapters from this book/memoir.

[Sami Khalil]

No problem. You are welcome along with the city.