Pursuit and Other Poems
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Poem #59 from “Pursuit” Your Dress I am almost sick with your beauty And the way that it pervades My images, in lights or greys, Or darks or blacks or shades; You stand, almost palpable, In the cinema of my mind; The blessed colour that you wear Is strong and soft, designed, As if by a sorceror’s plot, To folden you entire; Infinite infinities It weaves from my desire And will till veils of death Descend to close my eyes And the blessed colour of your dress Fades into stars and skies. Poem #85 from "Pursuit" Your Presence A great and glowing presence Seem you from far away; From burdens of sadness within me I veer where your presence holds sway; And a thousand birds up-fly Like armouries in the sky; I sit on the edge of my chair But my mind is filled by you; Vicious are sadness’s sounds Although they all feel true; So I run to where, in space, Your presence holds its place; And all my sadnesses whirr And dissipate into the night; Into the emptiness I stir New venturings of delight; Oh, how I venerate Your glowing presence great!
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About the Book
Pursuit and Other Poems offers a new collection of poetry presented in two parts, each of which highlights an extreme event that is part of a romantic experience. The first part is entitled “Ode in Emerging from an Overdose,” a single long poem that describes author David J. Murray’s feelings when he was rescued from an unpremeditated suicide attempt. The second part is entitled “Pursuit” and contains 114 poems that chronicle Murray’s emotional experiences with unrequited love.
Deeply personal and yet universal in nature, Murray’s verse speaks to the hope and heartbreak of the human experience with love.
‘If’ Revisited
If you can grab your woman too abruptly,
If you forget that her birthday is today,
If you assume your desire for her is equalled
By her desire for a romp with you in the hay,
If you dare think a fuzzy morning stubble
Turns her right on, and that she desires you more,
If you assume that it is her bounden duty
To have the dishes done the night before,
If you dare think that your mind analytical
Is prejudice-free and objective more than hers,
And that her place is really in the kitchen
And not among élites or raconteurs,
Then you will trail behind her in the mall,
While she looks out for someone rich and tall.
About the Author
David J. Murray has published five books of poetry. Born in 1937 and raised in Manchester, England, he earned a doctorate from the University of Cambridge. Now emeritus professor of psychology at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, and a resident of Toronto, he has published scholarly books, articles, and encyclopedia entries.