the library of t-shirts
by
joanne burns
in order to upgrade the community’s appreciation of poetry during the international
year of cultural enrichment stage 2, members of the state’s library progress committee
decided to establish a small library of t-shirts on which would be printed quality
verse in vivid, bold colours and lettering. the poems would be selected on the basis
of one of three qualities: is the poem poignant, perspicacious, or pithy.
given the respectably researched fact that the wearing of words on t-shirts expresses
a deep psychic desire for an intimate union of word and flesh, (and bear in mind
the way “logo” nudges towards “logos”) it is not surprising that this library of
t-shirts has been a great success. no one seems to mind borrowing pre-worn clothing.
of course the library’s washing and ironing staff maintain the t-shirts in excellent
condition. even after ten borrowings the shirts look brand new. and considering
the phenomenal success of andrew lloyd webber’s “cats” it is no shock revelation
that t.s. eliot’s “hollow men” has proved to be the library’s most popular t-shirt
so far. in fact there are now eight copies of this shirt on loan, most in metallic
or fluoro colours.
a couple of the more entrepreneurial of the library’s progress committee members
are leading the push for diversification of the library’s poetry program, into neck
to knee anti-uv swimwear, with maybe slessor, shelly and stevie smith prints for
starters; and into underpants, with their multiple attractions.
while the committee feels both these garments could increase poetry’s appeal, they
are worried about the practicability of adding these garments to the t-shirt poetry
collection. would many members want to borrow preworn underpants, however compelling
the poems’ cadences and metaphors; while the wear and tear on the swimming costume
fabric via chlorine and salt water would perhaps be too great. however they are
interested in marketing and selling these articles from a stall in the library’s
foyer. the only committee member unenthusiastic regarding this proposal is an optometrist
who has raised the issue of eye damage if the typeface of the lines of verse on
the underpants were too small. a solution in the form of large print haikus is being
considered.
From Penelope’s Knees, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia: University
of Queensland Press, 1996.
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