dual personalities

Nobody heard him, the dead man,

But still he lay moaning:

I was much further out than you thought

And not waving but drowning.

Poor chap, he always loved larking

And now he’s dead

It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,

They said.

Oh, no no no, it was too cold always

(Still the dead one lay moaning)

I was much too far out all my life

And not waving but drowning.

Today is the birthday of English poet and novelist Stevie Smith (1902–1971). I remember going to go see the movie Stevie (1978) based on the play about her by Hugh Whitemore. I went with my mother and she was deeply affected by it. She sometimes reacted very emotionally to sad things and this always deeply affected me. It made me worry that we (her children) had no idea how sad and lonely she really was. But I suppose that is true for most children.

The movie is available on YouTube, so maybe I’ll check it out. Anyway, a toast to Stevie Smith seems in order.

The painting is “Beyond the Sea 6” by Paul Bennett