Thursday 19 March 2015

Day 974: The Centre of the Universe


Paul Durcan is one of our funniest and fun-poking contemporary Irish poets. Have a look: 


The Centre of the Universe - Paul Durcan

Pushing my trolley about in the supermarket;
I am the centre of the universe;
Up and down the aisles of beans and juices,
I am the centre of the universe;
It does not matter that I live alone;
It does not matter that I am a jilted lover;
It does not matter that I am a misfit in my job;
I am the centre of the universe.

But I’m always here, if you want me -
For I am the centre of the universe.

I enjoy being the centre of the universe.
It is not easy being the centre of the universe
But I enjoy it.
I take pleasure in,
I delight in,
Being the centre of the universe.
At six o’clock a.m. this morning I had a phone call;
It was from a friend, a man in Los Angeles;
“Paul, I don’t know what time it is in Dublin
But I simply had to call you:
I cannot stand LA so I thought I’d call you.”
I calmed him down as best I could.

But I’m always here, if you want me -
For I am the centre of the universe.

I had barely put the phone down when it rang again,
This time from a friend in Sao Paulo in Brazil:
“Paul – do you know what is the population of Sao Paulo?
I will tell you: it is twelve million skulls.
Twelve million pairs of feet in one footbath.
Twelve million pairs of eyes in one fishbowl.
It is unspeakable, I tell you, unspeakable.”
I calmed him down.

But I’m always here, if you want me -
For I am the centre of the universe.

But then when the phone rang a third time and it was not yet 6.30 a.m.,
The petals of my own hysteria began to wake up and unfurl.
This time it was a woman I know in New York City:
“Paul – Ney York City is a Cage”,
And she began to cry a little over the phone,
To sob over the phone,
And from five thousand miles away I mopped up her tears.
I dabbed each tear from her cheek
With just a word or two or three from my calm voice.

I’m always here, if you want me -
For I am the centre of the universe.

But now tonight it is myself;
Sitting at my aluminium double-glazed window in Dublin city;
Crying just a little bit into my black tee shirt.
If only there was just one human being out there
With whom I could make a home? Share a home?
Just one creature out there in the night-
Is there not just one creature out there in the night?
In Helsinki, perhaps? Or in Reykjavik?
Or in Chapelizod? or in Malahide?
So you see, I have to calm myself down also
If I am to remain the centre of the universe;
It’s by no means an exclusively self-centred automatic thing
Being the centre of the universe.

I’m always here, if you want me -
For I am the centre of the universe.

2 comments:

  1. I recently have had a lot of issues with my credit score and I have tried a lot of different programs and none of them really helped me as PINNACLE CREDIT SPECIALIST. I contacted them and they helped me step by step and I’m really thankful for their effort and service. I have recommended them to my friends and family. I also recommend everyone else to give them a try! You won’t regret it! Hit them by email: PINNACLECREDITSPECIALIST@GMAIL.COM

    ReplyDelete
  2. I haven’t been with PINNACLE CREDIT SPECIALIST for long at all however I got an excellent service…. I spoke with PINNACLE CREDIT SPECIALIST and he was attentive, knowledgeable and easy to speak with, during the conversation I explained my credit situation, I felt excited about getting my credit situation in order. I can’t believe what my eyes have seen on my credit report. They increased my credit score to 805 TransUnion, 808 Equifax, and 811 Experian. PINNACLE CREDIT SPECIALIST has made me feel like we were in my credit situation together, like we are a team. I’m super excited I sincerely recommend them: PINNACLECREDITSPECIALIST@GMAIL.COM

    ReplyDelete

I'd love to hear what you think! To leave a comment - comment as/sign in with your Google ID if you have one, or website or blog address, or if these don't apply, sign in as Anonymous, and leave your name if you like!