RIP Michael Donaghy

I had a wee cry reading this one again last night:

The Present

For the present there is just one moon,
though every level pond gives back another.

But the bright disc shining in the black lagoon,
perceived by astrophysicist and lover,

is milliseconds old. And even that light's
seven minutes older than its source.

And the stars we think we see on moonless nights
are long extinguished. And, of course,

this very moment, as you read this line,
is literally gone before you know it.

Forget the here-and-now. We have no time
but this device of wantonness and wit.

Make me this present then: your hand in mine
and we'll live out our lives in it.

Oh, this is sad, especially knowing that there won't be any more of these wonderful poems from him. Sigh. I'm going to go read some more.

Argh, I've just discovered this thread and learned that Michael died! How shocking... I knew him at the end of the 80s, when he performed a lot at Terrible Beauty, a club run in Earl's Court by a friend. He was an immensely gifted poet and a tremendously nice person.

"Forget the here-and-now. We have no time
but this device of wantonness and wit."

How many times today is my heart going to crush my throat, eh?