appealing

The Maynard
Fall 2018

Stephen Bett
0:00
 
 

George Bowering: Scatter-Gun

I went to the blackberries
on the vine.
They were blackberries
on the vine.

Against Description
— George Bowering


I went to the blackberries
that old impulse, but didn’t yak about it
his favourite colour yellow / May / number 27
his unlucky 52 & name-drop D. McF, sigh...

on the vine.
said gimme som’a dat light-footed black-
berry wine, it’s beyond description*
so cover me in juice

They were blackberries
yah, don’t tell, it’s the “show me” state
here in the ol’ Human Universe, straight
from his open mouth, no cracks (pls)

on the vine.
ouch, it’s all so Thea-retical, yr daughter stomped
on my stocking feet scatter-gun & no we’re not
doing Bök today, no OuLiPo left in our DNA


* “Describers are tourists who leave milk cartons at the campsight [sic].” (G.B.)