Julian Summerhayes

Biography

I'm not yet a poet but as Bukowski said, I'm ready to Roll The Dice. This is my current bio from my website. For now, it's the best I can do. PS. It's all work in progress, right? I’m not yet officially old — i.e. past retirement — but I’ve lived long enough, perhaps too long, to see the world turned upside down by our greed-obsessed, consumptive ways. At this point, cutting to the chase, I could list all the jobs I’ve done, and the failed career paths chosen but that would be pointless because all they’d succeed in doing was showing how little I understood of the dominant (cultural) narrative and how easily I swallowed the Kool-Aid of success, which was at the bedrock of every exhortation and well-meaning but banal comment that came my way. Let’s just say that my experience to date has given me enough ‘life’ ballast to negotiate the slings and arrows of the workplace but I’d be lying if it hasn’t left me feeling hopeless for everyone else jumping on the bandwagon of future work success. Right now, I’m still (I say that with a resigned acceptance but I should be lucky, right!) employed as a lawyer but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to a deep mistrust of my rationale for undertaking work that is just as likely to send me over the edge as (don’t laugh) lift my soul to the heights of exhilaration. Outside of work, I spend time walking around the Devon lanes with my mad-as-hell dogs, who make sure that I stay grounded and understand that my anthropocentric eyes don’t represent a true picture of the world. I could go on but I suspect you’re already bored. The best thing you can do is either check out my writing on my website.

all change

we need very little to change or be changed. in fact, one minute we’re this person next, someone else. it’s not in the mind instead, the unruly Gods, waiting to anoint us. prayer offerings love tenderness: yes, all in the mix and they may tilt the needle towards the (new) you but sometimes, it’s fate, and there ain’t nothing nothing you can do to influence that.

All poems are copyright of the originating author. Permission must be obtained before using or performing others' poems.