Clawed Rains

By Andrew M. Bell

50 poems covering a wide variety of genres and subjects by award-winning New Zealand poet, Andrew M. Bell. The poetry is accessible without conceding anything in its artistry. Bell strives for humour in some poems and aims to dispel the image of poetry as dry and boring. Above all, Bell tries to communicate our shared humanity through the experiences of life distilled in poetry.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Sep 18, 2020
• ISBN: 9781716572814

Book preview

Andrew M. Bell

Clawed Rains

A BIGGER THAN BEN HUR PRODUCTION

in association with www.lulu.com

This book is dedicated to my fellow citizens of Christchurch,

New Zealand who have endured three major earthquakes,

at the time of writing, on September 4, 2010, February 22, 2011

and again on June 13, 2011.

Our hearts are with all those who have lost loved ones

or their homes or their livelihoods.

Other books by Andrew M. Bell:

Headlights

(1982)

Songs in a Silent Key

(1982)

Son of Artwork

(1984)

A Rhino in the Hand

(1985)

Shaking Off the Dust

(1987)

After the Storm

(1992)

Moonlight in the Aquarium

(2004)

Aotearoa Sunrise

(2009)

Collections of Song Lyrics:

The Godzilla Years

The Sing Sing Years

The Wilderness Years (Parts One and Two)

(1986)

Andrew M. Bell 2011, 2020

ISBN 978-1-71657-281-4

Print published 2011. E-Book published 2020.

This book is copyright. Apart from

any fair dealing for the purpose of private study,

research, criticism or review, as permitted under the

Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any

process without the permission of

the publishers.

Acknowledgements are due to the

editors of the following publications, in which many

of these poems first appeared:

AUSTRALIA: The Echo (newspaper), English Outcomes 3 (Pearson Education Australia/Longman), Fremantle Stories (anthology),

Galloping On 4 (anthology), Grok, Micropress Oz, Navigations,

Naked Eye (1992 & 1994), Rockingham Weekend Courier, The West Australian, The Western Review, Womanspeak, The Writer’s News

NEW ZEALAND: Micropress NZ, Mother and Child Vibration, The Press, Presto, Sky Falling (NZ Poetry Society anthology), Valley Micropress

and acknowledgements are due to the

media outlets that broadcast some of these poems:

AUSTRALIA: Artrage Festival, RTR-FM, 6NR, 6UVS-FM

"Claude Rains gave the order to collect the usual suspects

and the camera came in on closer on his face.

He watched as the plane left the airstrip

like hope leaves a dying man,

but he hung on to the choice he made."

1989 Don McGlashan & Harry Sinclair

CONTENTS

A Buck-Fifty’s Worth of Sunshine                                    9

Silent Night                                                                  10

Afterlife Airlines                                                                  11

Cornucopia                                                                  13

Elegy Written Near the Mitchell Freeway                              15

Headlights                                                      17

Blood, Thou Art Blood                                          18

Four Tankas for Lake Monger                                    20

Lament for Lost Literary Comfort                                    21

A Far Greater Nourishment                                    23

A Long Overdue Love Poem                                    24

Agog                                                            27

Lover Without Cover                                          28

Endangered                                                      30

Goodbye Freo                                                32

Irina                                                            34

Kissing the Cobra                                                35

Lake Toba, 28 June 1993                                          36

Let’s Do Lunch                                                37

Don’t Turn Around                                                38

Bye the Buy                                                      40

And Still There Is                                                41

Bipolar Opposites Detract                                          42

Aotearoa, You’re Standing In It                                    43

Child in a Spiral Staircase                                          45

Following Your Heart                                          46

Spring Comes Early to the Fridge                                    48

Big Stupid Grin                                                50

For Thomas on his