you make me feel like a gay bubbly elvis sequence
You make me feel like a gay bubbly Elvis
white plastic bags hanging in a butchers window like chickens - big bunches on those metal 's' hooks hung on a steel tube
spray arcing out like an umbrella panel over the spinning brushes on a street sweeper and i don't believe I've ever noticed it before
slight dampness glued flyer to the pavement where it's got scuffed, read Mr Aziz, don't stop so i've no idea what kind of business he's running
we had two great weeks but it's been a little dull for a couple of days + much much colder at night
i like to share a bath with you... sometimes it's good to bathe alone but i like sitting with you, washing your hair, being in contact
mattdalby
3-4may4
Credits for 'You make me feel like a gay bubbly Elvis'
Gay bubbly Elvis * Helen Shanahan
'You' * Matt Dalby
Initial concept * Helen Shanahan
Written by * Matt Dalby
Editor * Matt Dalby
Utilising * Microsoft Word 97 software
Copyright (c) Matt Dalby 3-4 June 2004
Glossary to 'You make me feel like a gay bubbly Elvis'
Being in contact This is a key concept throughout the poem, and the majority of Dalby's poetry. It is largely unstated here, but strongly implicit in the intimate intensity of the vignettes of city life. The reader is brought into direct contact with the apparently unmediated impressions of the author.
Butcher's window Despite speculation it's been impossible to determine which butcher's shop is being referred to. There are several candidates along the route to work which Dalby was taking at that time, and on which notebook evidence suggests the initial notes were written, but nothing conclusive can be drawn from them. Such speculation detracts from the real point of this section, which is the miniature description of hanging plastic bags. Such 'chicken-like' arrangements can still be seen, although rarer now even than in Dalby's time.
Elvis Elvis Presley, popular mid-20th century 'Rock n' Roll' singer, whose work for Sun Records helped kick-start a youth revolution. The reference to 'gay bubbly Elvis' is taken to refer to the poet's partner with shampoo in her hair. She did not resemble Elvis in reality, but the light-hearted description of her looking like this would be entirely consistent with everything we know about the poet.
Flyer Varying in size and quality, flyers are an effective way of publicising events and services. They consist of an advert printed on paper or card, and distributed either by being handed out to passers-by, or delivered through doors. As with many of the details in Dalby's poetry little is known about the Mr Aziz featured on the flyer, although there are a few candidates.
Gay bubbly Elvis See Elvis.
Mr Aziz See Flyer
'S' hooks Steel hooks of varying size used to hang meat, fruit, and (as in this case) plastic bags or other items.
Street sweeper Small motorised, one-person vehicles used to clean city streets and pavements. Water is sometimes sprayed from above the rotary brushes, and sometimes from the middle. The brushes push litter under the sweeper where it is collected, the water helps prevent dust and lighter debris being scattered away from the sweeper.
Umbrella panel Umbrellas are generally not made up of panels, but Dalby is here clearly referring to the curving triangular sections of cloth between each pair of spokes. Like the comparison of plastic bags to chickens this image is both compact and precise.
Washing your hair Although most readers will miss the reference, this line refers back to the title. We know from evidence elsewhere that this probably described the appearance of the poet's partner with shampoo in her hair. This knowledge makes an already intimate and personal stanza, within an intimate and personal poem, even more tender.
'You' Confusingly, although the poem is written from Dalby's point of view, the title seems to be in the voice of his partner. She is reflecting back a light-hearted description offered by the poet in an intimate moment. This shifting of voices is very characteristic.
mattdalby 3-4june4
white plastic bags hanging in a butchers window like chickens - big bunches on those metal 's' hooks hung on a steel tube
spray arcing out like an umbrella panel over the spinning brushes on a street sweeper and i don't believe I've ever noticed it before
slight dampness glued flyer to the pavement where it's got scuffed, read Mr Aziz, don't stop so i've no idea what kind of business he's running
we had two great weeks but it's been a little dull for a couple of days + much much colder at night
i like to share a bath with you... sometimes it's good to bathe alone but i like sitting with you, washing your hair, being in contact
mattdalby
3-4may4
Credits for 'You make me feel like a gay bubbly Elvis'
Gay bubbly Elvis * Helen Shanahan
'You' * Matt Dalby
Initial concept * Helen Shanahan
Written by * Matt Dalby
Editor * Matt Dalby
Utilising * Microsoft Word 97 software
Copyright (c) Matt Dalby 3-4 June 2004
Glossary to 'You make me feel like a gay bubbly Elvis'
Being in contact This is a key concept throughout the poem, and the majority of Dalby's poetry. It is largely unstated here, but strongly implicit in the intimate intensity of the vignettes of city life. The reader is brought into direct contact with the apparently unmediated impressions of the author.
Butcher's window Despite speculation it's been impossible to determine which butcher's shop is being referred to. There are several candidates along the route to work which Dalby was taking at that time, and on which notebook evidence suggests the initial notes were written, but nothing conclusive can be drawn from them. Such speculation detracts from the real point of this section, which is the miniature description of hanging plastic bags. Such 'chicken-like' arrangements can still be seen, although rarer now even than in Dalby's time.
Elvis Elvis Presley, popular mid-20th century 'Rock n' Roll' singer, whose work for Sun Records helped kick-start a youth revolution. The reference to 'gay bubbly Elvis' is taken to refer to the poet's partner with shampoo in her hair. She did not resemble Elvis in reality, but the light-hearted description of her looking like this would be entirely consistent with everything we know about the poet.
Flyer Varying in size and quality, flyers are an effective way of publicising events and services. They consist of an advert printed on paper or card, and distributed either by being handed out to passers-by, or delivered through doors. As with many of the details in Dalby's poetry little is known about the Mr Aziz featured on the flyer, although there are a few candidates.
Gay bubbly Elvis See Elvis.
Mr Aziz See Flyer
'S' hooks Steel hooks of varying size used to hang meat, fruit, and (as in this case) plastic bags or other items.
Street sweeper Small motorised, one-person vehicles used to clean city streets and pavements. Water is sometimes sprayed from above the rotary brushes, and sometimes from the middle. The brushes push litter under the sweeper where it is collected, the water helps prevent dust and lighter debris being scattered away from the sweeper.
Umbrella panel Umbrellas are generally not made up of panels, but Dalby is here clearly referring to the curving triangular sections of cloth between each pair of spokes. Like the comparison of plastic bags to chickens this image is both compact and precise.
Washing your hair Although most readers will miss the reference, this line refers back to the title. We know from evidence elsewhere that this probably described the appearance of the poet's partner with shampoo in her hair. This knowledge makes an already intimate and personal stanza, within an intimate and personal poem, even more tender.
'You' Confusingly, although the poem is written from Dalby's point of view, the title seems to be in the voice of his partner. She is reflecting back a light-hearted description offered by the poet in an intimate moment. This shifting of voices is very characteristic.
mattdalby 3-4june4
Comments
For now, you'll just have to explain them all. Like how the butchers relates to the washing of her hair.
And then even how you get to it.
Lux
The only conceivable link would be of transformation - of things resembling other things. The bags (which happen to be in a butchers) look like dead chickens, the water spray looks like part of an umbrella, the narrator's partner looks like a gay bubbly Elvis.
Wish there was a key to my work. Personally I think a lot of what I've written recently has been really conventional. This one I always felt was fairly straightforward, but I guess you're right, there's no clear reason why any element is where it is.