The Man That Might Have Been

[David Campbell]

You're right, Heather, he was definitely very self-aware. John Barnes, who edited The Penguin Henry Lawson: Short Stories in 1986 wrote:

"Desperate though his condition so often was, Lawson struggled to continue writing, especially verse, which had always come easily — too easily — to him. The work of his last 20 years does not compare with his earlier, but a reading of it deepens one's sense of the tragedy of a man of great talent. With the passing of the years he knew that he was a ruined writer: in an unpublished poem he voices his shame at the ‘“books” of printed tripe, sold cheap for bitter bread’ and mourns for ‘volumes built on noble thoughts’ that had never been written. ‘My life is “written between the lines” of every book of mine that you have published', he told George Robertson, alluding to the line of verse: ‘But the broken heart of the poet is written between the lines'. His sense of distress runs through much of this later verse, which is self-regarding and self-protecting, even when there is no obvious or explicit reference to his own situation."

Two lines from The Women of the Town (1904) say it all:

I have known too well, God help me! to what depths a man can sink,
Sacrificing wife and children, fame and honour, all for drink.

I don't know what gave you the idea the poem isn't good enough for a competition. There are a couple of comps coming up that allow previously published verse. If you're interested, why not give it a go?

Cheers
David

[Heather]

Lawson is everywhere in his poems. Those two lines do sum a lot of him up David.

[warooa]

Splendid! I agree with David, bung it in a comp or two - it is as equally evocative and well written as Mal's poem "I Sometimes Think of Henry" which did well in a comp (I think?).

Anywhich way you go, you should (and I'm sure you are) be proud of this. One for the ages

Cheers, Marty

[Heather]

Thanks Marty. I don't think I've ever been told a poem of mine is "splendid" before....

[Jeff Thorpe]

As all who've posted have said Heather, that's a wonderful poem. Well done.

Regards, Jeff

[Heather]

Thanks Jeff...

[alongtimegone]

Pretty much all been said so I'll just add that I think it a wonderful piece of writing Heather and I agree that it deserves to be entered into competition.
Wazza

[Heather]

Thanks Wazza, I appreciate it.....

[Bob Pacey]

Better get it off the forum quick then and insert removed to enter numerous comps.





Bob

[Glenny Palmer]

I second that Heather. It's really bonza.