Saturday, April 27, 2013

Ixion


Turning and returning
The wheel returns once more,
Once more the circus master
Beckons through the door.
Will nothing stop the shadows’
Convulsions on the floor?

Will nothing stop the shadows
Must I once again perform
the usual limited number
of variations from the norm?
Though the sky seems set for thunder
There’s never any storm.

Though the sky seems set for thunder
Rest assured it will not rain;
At least til the appropriate season
Has everything in train.
There’s never any reversal
For the slayer and the slain.

There is never any reversal,
The axe achieves the block
Denyal produces only
The crowing of the cock
Turning and returning,
No-one stops the clock.


By Lex Banning

note: I transcribed this from the radio, so the layout of the poem may be different from this. 

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Chrissie,

Stumbled in after doing a search for Ixion. Only did the search after transcribing, as you did - from Poetica, yes?

I agree with your decisions on the layout. Have you checked out bios of Lex Banning?

I also found this link, which may be of some interest to you.

http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/auspoetry/0/9/6/pdf/ac0962.pdf

Note stanza 1 - "convolutions", not "convulsions" as we thought from the reading. (And a powerful reading it was, too! I enjoy Poetica mightily.)

Having stumbled in, I think I'll wander around your blog for a while. We need more poetry in the world!

Regards,
Mark.

chrissie said...

Hi Mark,
thanks for visiting.
I don't know anything about Lex Banning except what I heard on Poetica - it is an excellent show, I agree. And it was a top reading. Thank you so much for the link - wonderful!
What is the research you doing?
- Chrissie