A poem by Phyllis King: 'Uneventful Day'

As it is National Poetry Day today, I'd like to share with you one of my favourite poems. The English poet Phyllis King appeared on four of the late Scottish humorist, harmonium player and all-round genius Ivor Cutler's albums, reading her own material. 'Uneventful Day' comes from the Velvet Donkey album, originally released in 1975 on Virgin Records. Phyllis also designed the album cover:

The beauty of her work lies in its simplicity. Whilst Ivor Cutler's poems and stories incline towards the surreal and absurd, Phyllis's poetry is gentle and pastoral but with an unexpected twist. They share a childlike sense of wonder at the world which makes listening to one of their albums or reading their poetry a real tonic in the fast-paced and increasingly dystopian Britain of today. Here's the poem:

An uneventful day
No beauty touched my eyes
I didn't gaze on blossomed boughs
Against March skies
Nor feel the warmth of winter sun
Nor even talk to anyone
But
Late that evening
As I sat reading
I heard a daffodil
Break its skin
 

Ivor Cutler and Phyllis King at the BBC

 

B.R. 04/10/2012