Lovatt, Andrew

Ireland, (contemporary)

whispers in a pig’s ear – 1

  1. the w i n d
  2. is music
  3. to our
  4. ears
  5. cocked & hairy
  6. as if
  7. we were
  8. really
  9. interested
  10. in listening
  11.  
  12. but it is the snout
  13. that gives us away
  14. twitching
  15. running with d r o o l
  16. salivating
  17. grunting
  18. greeding
  19. snorting
  20. for
  21. the next fix
  22.  
  23. if one were to tell
  24. all that’s possible
  25. would it be more
  26. than casting pearls?
  27. and yet
  28. is there any choice?
  29. silk purses
  30. do
  31. sometimes
  32. get sewn!
  33.  
  34. at a certain point
  35. we are
  36. who we are
  37. & must
  38. like the wind
  39. join the h o w l
  40. just incase
  41. the sound
  42. can
  43. penetrate
  44. our thick ears
  45.  
  46. to sin is not
  47. what we
  48. think
  49. or have been
  50. taught
  51. no
  52. damnation
  53. nor 1001 ways
  54. to fear death
  55. perhaps
  56. it be
  57. the blade
  58. of redemption
  59. even
  60.  
  61.  
  62. it means
  63. simply
  64. to err
  65. to stray
  66. to lose our way
  67. & in that
  68. moment
  69. of r e a l i s a t i o n
  70. to see
  71. we are
  72. l o s t
  73.  
  74. this
  75. is the road
  76. back from
  77. I don’t feel right
  78. to some sense
  79. of oneself
  80. of being
  81. in the right place
  82. at the right moment
  83. to meet ourselves
  84. outside of
  85. gruntland
  86. & say
  87. hello, again
  88. and again
  89.  
  90. to see
  91. that we are lost
  92. makes us
  93. pause
  94. and lift our
  95. blind snouts
  96. from the offal
  97. the big feast
  98. of wet sloppy
  99. chittlins
  100. dressed-up like
  101. a banquet
  102.  
  103. snouts down
  104. we are sure
  105. there’s a pearl there
  106. somewhere
  107. in the next mouthful
  108. or the next
  109. we look for hope
  110. where there
  111. is only hunger
  112. & itching
  113. to scratch
  114. our sense
  115. of dis-place-ment
  116. a mouthful
  117. to fill our v o i d
  118.  
  119. but
  120. perhaps
  121. it came out
  122. already?
  123. grunt
  124. snort
  125. fart
  126. shit
  127. eat
  128. shoving
  129. the nose
  130. everywhere
  131.  
  132. soon it is all
  133. a s a m e n e s s
  134. food
  135. or shite
  136. or regurgitation
  137. who
  138. can distinguish
  139. the difference?
  140. who cares?
  141. we become
  142. happy grunters
  143. drunk on methanol
  144. driven by despair
  145. searching for hope
  146. in all
  147. the wrong
  148. places
  149.  
  150. but there’s
  151. that wind again
  152. a lament
  153. why
  154. does it wail
  155. so
  156. woefully?
  157. why
  158. do I remember
  159. that tune?
  160. shall I dare
  161. to stop
  162. & prick my ears
  163. just
  164. for a
  165. moment?
  166. shall I
  167. gather the courage
  168. to look up?

Editor’s Note:

whispers in a pig’s ear 1 and 2 are here at Porkopolis.org. In 2003 readers of the e-zine DEAD DRUNK DUBLIN &other imaginal spaces were promised that the three remaining poems in this series of five would “be online shortly,” though they never were offered up.

Andrew Lovatt did include a live reading of whispers in a pig’s ear – 1. He explained that these poems were “written to be listened to” so please try the live reading here: whispers – 1

© Andrew Lovett. “whispers in a pig’s ear” (2003)  from DEAD DRUNK DUBLIN & other imaginal spaces. , an online literary arts magazine, actively published (2002-2010) from Dublin, Ireland. [http://www.deaddrunkdublin.com/].

whispers in a pig’s ear – 2

  1. the stomach
  2. is made of iron
  3. feasting on scraps
  4. & pretending
  5. a banquet
  6. eaten
  7. no brain
  8. no eyes
  9. no recollection
  10. no soul
  11. it begs
  12. for more
  13. without knowing
  14. con-se-quen-ces
  15.  
  16.  
  17. the grunt
  18. of life
  19. swallows
  20. slops
  21. un-knowingly
  22. a-waiting
  23. the butcher’s
  24. knife
  25. Hog Heaven
  26. is a full belly
  27. & no
  28. thought of anything
  29. other
  30. than the next snout full
  31.  
  32. who would
  33. face the darkness
  34. willingly?
  35.  
  36. better to lose
  37. oneself
  38. in the details
  39. & desires
  40. chomp down
  41. on the bones
  42. of our
  43. contentions
  44. all the
  45. things
  46. which
  47. grip our attention
  48. and make us
  49. feel like
  50. somebody
  51.  
  52. any body
  53. is better than the void
  54. question
  55.  
  56. the seven deadly sins
  57. are our comrades
  58. brothers & sisters!
  59. badges
  60. of success
  61. we wear
  62. with pride
  63. ” I am”
  64. all these
  65. and will
  66. think you sick
  67. or un-realistic
  68. if you don’t
  69. admire
  70. our achievements
  71.  
  72. I am my job
  73. my possessions
  74. my loved ones
  75. my house
  76. my car
  77. my attributes
  78. encircling myself
  79. with the trappings
  80. a likeness of
  81. some one
  82. a p e r s o n – a – l i t y
  83. reflecting
  84. the glory
  85. of my pigheaded
  86. ego
  87. I grasp myself
  88. for fear
  89. that I am
  90. no one
  91. but a
  92. catalog
  93. of desires
  94.  
  95. distraction
  96. & forgetfulness
  97. are my greatest
  98. entertainments
  99. burying
  100. & hiding
  101. my terror
  102. under a blanket
  103. of booze
  104. & conviviality
  105. gossip
  106. & chowder
  107.  
  108. who needs
  109. truth
  110. when we have
  111. such fine
  112. company?

© Andrew Lovett. “whispers in a pig’s ear” (2003)  from DEAD DRUNK DUBLIN & other imaginal spaces. , an online literary arts magazine, actively published (2002-2010) from Dublin, Ireland. [http://www.deaddrunkdublin.com/].

About the Poet:

Andrew Lovatt, Ireland, (contemporary) is a poet and writer. Lovatt was formerly editor of the e-zine IIF: Ireland’s Internet Future [irelandsfuture.com].

He was editor as well at deaddrunkdublin & other imaginal spaces, O-ZONE: Alternate Realities, The Irish Diviner and FIBA: A Critical Review of Cinema.

In 1995 Lovatt founded Red Moon Media, after returning to Ireland from the USA and his baptism in the early internet. He is now Red Moon Media’s managing director.

No copies of or recordings of whispers 3 thru 5 ave been found. So, certainly, some additional information on this poet or these poems needs to be included here. Please contact me if you can help. [DES-10/19]

Additional information: