Clock work: sixty shaking hands...

This is a copy of an e-mail I just sent to Lembit Opik which serves as some kind of introduction to my poem: clockwork: sixty shaking hands with a politician and other meteoric concerns.

Dear Lembit Opik M.P

Hi, my name is Stephen Willey, I met you on the tube a couple of weeks ago, I was coming off the District Line as you were going on; it was at Embankment tube. I recognized you and shook your hand, you were very polite and personable. What you did not know was that I am an aspiring poet engaged in a growing experimental writing scene in London. I co-run a web site called www.openned.com as well as a blog www.openned.blogspot.com. I think you will find the 'about us' page on the main openned website interesting as it talks a lot about politics in a humerous but pertinant way; I would love it if you left a comment on the forum or on the blog, it would mean a lot to me. Anyway, after our meeting I wrote a poem which I have e-mailed you in an attachment. I hope you find it interesting and engaging.

At source it compares a conventional narrativistic or teleological way of measuring time and history (the clock) against the repetitive greating of the hand shake. The poem is divided into 4, 15 line sections (evocative of the clock) which are refigured and reflected against eachother as the poem progresses. In case there is any confusion (and the poem does encourage and excite confusion) this is not a personal attack against you in any way, but is instead an investigation about the nature of politics, as it stands at the moment, and the repetitive acts our culture and our bodies commit us to everyday without our entire control. Any way enough said perhaps. Apart from I was a student at Brentwood School, about 5 years ago now, where you gave a talk. Small world hey Lembit.

I hope you enjoy it and perhaps I will see you at the next openned event. The 28th of June, at the Foundry Old Street, 7:30.

Yours sincerly

Steve Willey