real and unreal
"real and unreal" is the title poem of Stephen House's chapbook of poetry of the same name, published by, in case of emergency press, Australia.
with you: in your real world of calm content we walk along beaches let rain drench us feel sun warm us become detached from time and need we sit in cafes drink black coffee share what we will keep what we choose to hold inside we wander in parks watch ducks with ducklings feed possums with apple let beaks and paws touch our skin we drive into the desert live in a tent spend hours in silence read old newspapers retrieved from bins we hold hands gently let tears fall freely laugh at life create unreal stories and make them real alone: in my unreal world of anything goes i fall into drinking slide around in night-clubs dance like a crazy-man aim to get beaten up and thrown out i walk in the wilderness sleep in shelters i build practise yoga at dawn chant in tune to the moon and sun i collect rubbish from coastlines make mountains to reach high worship them as Gods appeal to them for advice and help i take flights to foreign countries cruise trade on phone apps have sex with handsome men don’t stop until satisfied and exhausted i live on city streets play with anyone i feel like perform tricks on command sing songs by request if i know the words i travel to india camp by Mother Ganga chant Om Namah Shivaya bathe in our river three times each day i close myself up in hotel rooms write poems about you laugh in verse and cry in rhyme take real stories and make them unreal and you have two worlds too with me: in my real world of calm content alone: in your unreal world of anything goes you and me are our reality apart or together real and unreal
Bio: Stephen House has won many awards and nominations as a poet, playwright and actor, including two Australian Writer’s Guild Awgie Awards, and a Greenroom Best Actor nomination. He has had 20 plays produced, many of them commissioned. He’s received international literature residencies from The Australia Council and Asialink. His chapbook “real and unreal” was published by ICOE Press. His next book is out soon. His poetry is published often, and he performs his acclaimed monologues widely.
Fevers of the Mind 