There is a poem which is called "A Tour of the Holy Land".
I'd like to know who wrote this poem and possibly any information about it.
The first stanza of the poem starts...
In this city, the taxi drivers have a grim sense of humour
and drive too fast. They look at you, not the road,
in the rear-view mirror. They tell you their woes
in lurid, neon tones, sparing nobody, and expect yours
to be at least as bad. They wind down the window
to spit out phlegm and cigar butts and to shout at girls,
but you are qlready two blocks away before you can put a name
to the face of the one who, waiting to cross, has tied your heart
in a knot.
Amanda. Miranda. Their names are the names of streets
that lead unerringly to an angle of shadow
on the Indian bedspread, or a small bottle containing bluish liquid
rolling along the dresser top until only the moment
keeps it from falling. Like a sultry, pouting mouth
that is about to ask for the loo but just might...
I asked a friend who read the poem to me for further help and she has
the entire poem but she doesn't know who wrote it. It was torn out of
a book and given to her. There is another poem on the back of the
page called "Frog Prince" which is probably by the same author. It's
first paragraph is:
Am I good or bad, clever of stupid?
Stendhal asks himself
in the summer of 1832..
Sincerest thanks to everyone for your help.
MarkHi there, I know the book that page comes from so I hope this helps.
The book is, "The New Poetry" edited by Michael Hulse, David Kennedy
and David Morley, published by Bloodaxe books. Page 165 has - Charles
Boyle, "A Tour of the Holy Land"
There's a biographical note on him in the back:
"Charles Boyle was born in 1951 in Leeds. After teaching in Egypt and
travelling widely in North Africa he returned to Britain to work in
publishing, first for Time-Life and currently for Faber. He has
published four collections with Carcanet: Affinities (1977), House of
Cards (1982), Sleeping Rough (1987) and The Very Man (1993).Hi Mark,
Well, I gave it my best shot. I was hoping the poem would be in the
book, "A Special Year 1982, My Holy Land Tour and Reflective Poems" by
Watterson", but a bookseller who has the book had a look for me and he
just confirmed that it's not the book you are looking for.
Sorry!
hummerResearchers please be aware of previous questions:
http://answers.google.com/answers/search?q=tour+holy+land+taxi&qtype=allCan you post the rest of the frog prince?
Also, what page number are these printed on?The only 'Frog Prince' I was able to find was by Anne Sexton, and I
know that the poems are not the same. The writing of the first sounds
like Billy Collins, but he is an American, and this was/is a British
poet or at least someone with a British influence.
The writing is also modern.
Unfortunately many poets self publish or publish small anthologies so
this may be nearly impossible to find. I'll keep looking and if I come
up with something, I'll post it.I will write both pages and page numbers to the poems when I have
access to them this Thursday April 6th. Thanks.#If you have any other info about this subject , Please add it free.# |
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