Saturday 4 February 2012

haiku for Geoff Stevens (1942 - 2012)




To put out the fires

They throw petrol on the flames

The seller warms his hands





8 comments:

  1. Enigmatic - and applicable to so many human social and political situations.

    Geoff Stevens: occasionally I discover someone I should know well just as they die.

    Since I know so little there is little I can say, except that I sat and read his website just now for longer than I do most and thought In The All Night Café was wonderful (was it in Chickentown, perhaps?)

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  2. Dominic, I'd recently sent an email to Geoff's Purple Patch to replace my Poetry Monthly (defunct) sub - and there was no reply - then came the news that he was ill. Subscriptions have understandably been suspended - I've just read on the website. It was Geoff who awarded me the Purple Patch No. 1 spot for best small press individual collection in his 2008 lists.

    John, Many thanks. It was RK Singh's new haiku gave me the idea.

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  3. ps- John, the painting is one I did 10 years ago. I have it on my wall.

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  4. Gwil - after reading Dominic's comment I shall now go and look at the website he mentions. Sad when someone falls off the blog radar because they have died.

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  5. Pat, there's not much chance of Geoff Stevens falling off the blog radar as you term it. He'll be remembered long.

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  6. Geoff was an industrial chemist so that is very appropriate - on t'other hand Geoff had a big blind spot when it came to haiku. I heard the news a few days ago and was quite sad. I understand the end was peaceful and for this we must be grateful. I could possibly write reams of remincences about Geoff but for now it is perhaps too close.

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  7. Thanks Gerald. I hope you do write some reminiscences at some future date.

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