Sunday, October 02, 2005
(i ) Pushing my trolly 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.
(ii) I enjoy being the centreof 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 sixo'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.
I'm always here if you want me - For I am the centre of the universe.(iii) I had barely put the phone down whenit rang again,
This time from a friend in São Paulo in Brazil:
' Paul, do you know what is the the population of São Paulo?
I will tell you; it is twelve million skulls.
Twelve million feet in the one foot bath.
Twelve million eyes in the one fishbowl.
It is unspeakable, I tell you, unspeakable.'
I calmed him down.
I'm always here, if you want me - For I am the centre if the universe.(iv) 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 alittle 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.(v) 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.-Paul Durcan-
keira:)
@ 8:08 PM
