George Anderson- I knew a bloke (once)

I knew a bloke (once)

after robert creeley

 

& so I sd to my good mate Jim

(that’s not his real name)

cause we’re always scheming

thinking of ways to duplicate a buck

or just applying the polyfiller to life-

filling in the cracks   before it all dissembles

 

anyways I sd to Jim

‘hey mate, how bout we buy a ute & piss off up to Cairns?’

 

Jim, he shows me a paper bag-

there’s a gun inside

a .38 service revolver

 

I sd, ‘where’d yr get that?’

 

He sd, can’t tell u- but I’m gonna have to use it soon

 

There is an intensity in his eyes. The longneck overflowing his tall glass.

 

‘Can’t you pour a beer?’I sd. ‘Look at the fucken head on that!’

 

I never saw the bloke again

'I knew a bloke (once)' (2001) is an appropriation of Robert Creeley's poem 'I Knew a Man'.  It was included in his collection For Love: Poems 1950-1960 (1962). The above photo of Robert Creeley is by Chris Felver (source: all poetry.com).

In the poem I recall a chance meeting with an ex-factory work colleague in a Redfern pub in 1978. I never saw the bloke again.