Photographs of Wystan

Above: Wystan in fancy dress as a beetle -1912 Photographs of Wystan One of the world's greatest poets in a pose, similar to an Anne Gedde's baby Balancing beetle antennae his head at an angle a satin suit padded to emulate the chest of a beetle's, Spare legs of black velvet dangling while he stands upright feet together, his expression, militant Certain in this moment of his current resemblance to a beetle At five years old, to think he held potential for such poetry A black and white photo, frontspiece for "The Life of a Poet" It appears to have been snapped just before an exhalation of his cigarrette. At 65 his face is wrinkled eye bags reminiscent of a sharpei puppy but it is the forehead that so amazes with grids as square as graphic paper as if the poetry had been mapped out on his face I've seen mud, cracking like that, on a dried up river bed His fingers are long, chiselled and in relaxed contact with that cigarette as he holds back a chuckle with the smoke His air is of a casual formality- a waistcoat teamed with with a plaid sports coat In retrospect, here, he had reached his full potential I wonder if someone uttered at his funeral "Stop all the clocks."