Professor Mervyn Morris: “Funny Fellow. Poet. Mad as Hell.”

Ever been to a poetry reading? No, neither had I, until I went to Bristol Poetry Institute’s annual reading with Jamaican Poet Laureate, Professor Mervyn Morris.

Arriving at Wills Memorial Building, drenched from head to toe as a result of one of Bristol’s surprise downpours, it dawned on me that I really didn’t know what to expect of the evening. Whether this was a talk about the process of poetry writing itself, some insight into Professor Morris’s life and works or quite simply a reading, I was oblivious. Of course, ever the keen English student (and eager to reap any extra-curricular benefits of my somewhat sparse hours), I was there and ready for poetry.

After some lengthy introductions – it being the kind of event that requires an introduction for the introducer of the introduction – Professor Morris took to the stage. It soon became apparent that a poetry reading requires little else than the written words. Poetry when spoken from the mouth of its author takes on a different quality, as we are given privilege to the author’s intended intonations and nuances. What followed was an hour long journey through the works of Mervyn Morris, in which he demonstrated huge emotional range. These were poems of universal truth, tackling love and happiness, grief, his Caribbean origins and the art of writing, all delivered under his ironic gaze. His wry commentary in between the readings served to intensify the strong sense of personality within the works – and kept the audience chuckling throughout.

Poetry being best experienced first-hand I’m choosing to let his poem ‘Casanova’ to do the talking. You may find it useful to bear this one in mind the next time you hit Sports Night at Bunker:

Casanova

Flaunting his gym-toned pectorals,

washboard stomach, fashion-

conscious locks, he worked the image

of philanderer, every woman’s

fantasy or threat.

But something tremulous inside

his gravelly baritone exposed

a small boy quivering in the dark,

his mother dead, his father gone away,

groping for explanations.

For those of you who couldn’t make the event, The Poetry Archive online has a great selection of recordings of Mervyn Morris reading his work. Definitely give them a listen if you have a spare moment, he has a remarkable voice! http://www.poetryarchive.org/explore/browse-poems?f[0]=field_poet%3A192606

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