Illuminated by spotlights, British poet Tom Pickard took center stage at the McCormick Family Theater Wednesday night. He both entertained and touched audience members when reading his pieces.
Pickard opened his 30-minute presentation with his poems "I was Thinking Tommy Armstrong" and ended with "Hawthorn." He captivated some 30 students, faculty members and members of the public in every moment he read.
Pickard primarily chose selections that dealt with the sadness of death and the loss of love. He wasted no time jumping into some of his heavier work. The second selection he read was "The Crem," a powerful poem depicting the solitude and intrinsic dreariness associated with a crematorium. Stark images pepper the lines of the piece, from drifting shopping bags to the eerie detail of the starched collar of a cremator. Directness in description of visual images and lack of frivolity in wording created a profoundly somber mood.
Many of Pickard's poems contain beautifully described landscapes. The listener can picture the windswept moorlands and rocky land of Pickard's home in England. The incorporation of these scenes enhances the typically serious tone of the writing.
"The Crem" offers such images of landscape, as do "Raven Beck" and "Camera Obscura." One of his best known poems, "Front," presents a different type of landscape but produces the same effect. The cityscape within the poem is harsh and impersonal. "Front" includes such lines as "chopped waters, / deserted street corners, / randomly disturbed light," which creates a chill within the listener.
Departing from his characteristic simple phrasing, Pickard played with the sounds of various words. "Daydrugged" is a tongue-twister poem which wraps the reader in confusion much like the delirium experienced by the speaker within the piece. Similar-sounding words pile on top of each other and roll over each other. Each suffocating list of words ends with the surprisingly clear phrase "like a skinned rabbit."
Still, the reading had its humorous moments. "Hidden Agenda" is a piece written as, according to a slightly smirking Pickard, a "manifesto for the labour party in Britain." The poem is effectively overwhelmed with the repetition of a certain expletive. The excessive and almost indiscriminate use of the word had the audience rocking with laughter. The rollicking atmosphere grew with Pickard losing his place in the middle of the reading and appropriately muttering the expletive.
For the most part, Pickard's diction was clear and precise, allowing audience members to fully appreciate each word. A few times, he stumbled over some of his words, but he recovered quickly and started the verse again. The atmosphere of the reading was relaxed but serious for the most part. Except for a few moments of laughter, the audience was absorbed in quiet, concentrated thought.
The final reading, "Hawthorn," displayed Pickard's talent in touching his audience through the written word. The poignant and painfully sad poem told the story of the speaker's loss of his beloved. Clear visual imagery, such as "berry red," "blossom white" and "thorn sharp," developed this powerful emotional tale.
Touched listeners sat and contemplated Pickard's words a while after the British-accented voice ceased. The reading of "Hawthorn," like many of Pickard's poems, proved to be a thought-provoking and profound experience in contemplating how the subject of the poem - and, more broadly, humanity - deal with sadness in life.
