Welcome to the second of our poet profiles! Gregory Patrick's poem Probably was chosen to be the third track on the 11 Whispers album. Like many of Patrick's work, Probably is about overcoming the trauma of a failed relationship. There is a rawness to this poem that is amplified by its form; a general lack of punctuation or stanzas serve to complement the poem's theme; one line runs onto the next, conveying the overflow of painful emotions; these are feelings that cannot be contained or controlled. The only period we see follows the word "Probably". For more of Patrick's work, check out his Instagram page, or see his website: https://www.gregorypatrickpoet.com/
Probably
I can’t delete the pictures from my phone
even though you begged me to
it’s as if you’re desperate to forget what we were
like I meant nothing at all
my heart still jumps when my telephone dings
praying you’ve finally given in
to that sensible voice in your head
It can be our secret
let us meet in our old haunting ground
bumming smokes from the regulars
nobody need bother us there
Probably.
But unfortunately this is just a poem
written for you
but you’ll never know it
only the few who bother to watch and stay
they’ll get to see my heart break away
maybe it’s best we move on
I’ll just pretend my pains all gone
cosplay like some handsome man on the town
even if it’s just a game
sitting alone with my back to the bar
trying my best to forget you were the one
drunk conversations never help anyway
I always end up chatting with myself
can’t even make a new friend
somethings are better kept from strangers
because that’s all we are now
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m from a town in Dublin called Clondalkin. I’ve lived there for the majority of my 38 years. In the last few years I’ve considered myself a father above everything else. I spend my days just trying to improve on who I was the day before.
What makes you tick?
Trying to be better, trying to push myself to open more. I feel like holding some stuff back but it
hurts the work. So I need to always push myself to the edge.
Who inspires you?
Poetry-wise, the unpopular opinion these days is Charles Bukowski, but I adore Louise Glück and Langston Hughes. Outside of poetry, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Patti Smith have changed how I look at songs and lyrics. I would also have to mention writer/director Vincent Gallo for the unapologetic way he views his art.
What are your plans for the future? Have you anything in the pipeline?
I’m currently submitting work at the moment but that has never been the goal for me. I enjoy it if ten people like something I’ve done or the people who spend time looking through all my work on my website.
Any advice for writers out there?
Be honest with yourself, no matter what feelings come up, no matter how ugly it may be, the
truth will always win. You will be surprised by how many people will have shared an experience, some people can't put it into words and that's where you come in.
Comments