by DS Maolalai.
christ get me out of these artist-type bars
and people rambling over cigarettes about the
projects
they’re working on, books and movies
and the screenplay ideas and
bands they’re all in bands
rock bands back to basics
or experimental bands
all talking to other artists painters poets
people who make little
prints or little gold fish keyrings
artistic parties full of half people who want to be in novels
shouting loud witty things
like dogs who see the bowl go by
and half people who are writing them
sitting in the background
vague as praying mantises
parties like this are like ships in a bottle
full of detail and looking great
but going very much nowhere.
let me go to a pub somewhere
with a couple of builders
or a door to door salesman. a man
who paints houses has much better stories
than just a man
who just
paints
not talking to anyone
not getting any stories
just mixing colours quietly
in silence like marmalade
warm deep orange
learning
very much the way a child learns
about shade and shape and colour
until he finishes up
goes out
gets drunk
gets loud
and talks about art.