More Notes for a Screenplay

A Work in Progress 
13

When Donal was despairing of finding a way in

to the way out it was Val got Donal a porter’s job

she was a student nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital

in Praed Street, Paddington where he lasted a week

Porters mostly stood idle awaiting a call

His shoulder length hair was a deep shade of red

a patient sprang up from his bed eager to touch it

An old woman still warm he took to the morgue

 

Then he worked for a week at Better Books

Wolfprints, his chapbook, could be found on the shelf

During that week John Berryman died and Donal

gave Berryman’s books away for free

So….

Glenn Hughes continued

Let's imagine it's Aldington's reunion with H.D.

Nancy Cunard?  Brigit Patmore?  Babette Hughes?

they walked here coming by separate ways

found Ares beneath with Aphrodite

playing chess calmly in the sunlit square

thinking many more moves ahead than they 

deliberating each slow careful move

a real game of chess near the Luxembourg

A fight full frontal not a fianchetto

black and white pieces contested files

an unlikely draw from all they could see

more two fighters circling with stilettos

before coming to this room under eaves

where swallows nested above the leaves

naked Aphrodite wore a sun dress 

his blue shirt bulged over a taut torso

she caused pedestrians to stop and stare

his eyes moved them on again from the square

they seemed out of place in a sidewalk café

anonymous movie stars at their play

why were they there in that square near a park?

tangled in golden light-beam woven arcs

how she looked so lovely tossing her hair

how he looked so manly muscled arms bare

why were they there on an overlarge bed?

why were they waiting for that game to end?

watching through extraordinary leaves 

golden light filtering down from plane trees

We’ll scroll through time recreate like bards 

epic glories ocean voyages landfalls 

fire-side stories multicolored skyscapes still life portraits

Heed those blind seers who knew better darkness

who never saw light divided through prisms

squalls scattering rain drops among some branches

leaving all golden crowned by a rainbow

If time is measured by light's slow decay

then time may stand still for the sight less

but time runs on transmuted by sound’s touch 

like a fountain splashing or waves lapping

Time flows on far reaching for all unceasing

wake widening astern keel of bright words

Apollonius chose a golden fleece

we’ll hide golden geese in a labyrinth

guarded by a Minotaur’s gnashing teeth

call for guidance from Athena’s Venus

to help us create a legend of Attica

find us a good myth to frame our story:

Richard as Theseus who’ll thread that maze

H.D. Ariadne a beautiful girl

Ezra an ideal Dionysius

to rescue her from the isle of Naxos

where Richard will let H.D. go ashore

little thanks to her for weaving that thread

bringing him back life after killing Huns

not a Minotaur but Germans instead

Dick Russell © Richard M Russell

                    2025