when i write. By Stephen House

i need to establish some kind of routine 

when i write 

and i’m writing again now 

properly 

at long last 

when i’m locked into a ridiculous drinking bender 

(like the Paris thing) 

i don’t write 

not properly 

i slide around in utter chaos

recording flashes of the bender 

in shaky stream of consciousness note form 

one moment 

and wallow in devastating mind blanks 

and sleazy drunken sex hookups 

next moment 

real work occurs in a kind of way that is sober and steady 

though still unmeasured and unplanned 

it has the comforting foundation of safe and calm 

drinking writing never comes under the title 

of writing properly

though i got that bizarre piece

(about my appalling behavior in Paris) 

down on paper 

major drinking bender and all

so who the fuck knows

Stephen House is an award winning playwright, poet, actor. He’s won two Awgie Awards (Australian Writer’s Guild), Adelaide Fringe Award, First Prize Rhonda Jancovich Poetry Award,  Goolwa Poetry Cup, First Prize SA Writers Feast Prize & Second Prize Poetry at Sawmillers. He’s been shortlisted for Lane Cove Literary Award, Overland’s Fair Australia Fiction Prize, Patrick White Playwright and Queensland Premier Drama Awards, many poetry Awards, Di Cranston Script Award, and Greenroom best actor Award. He’s received Australia Council literature residencies to Ireland and Canada, and an Asia-link to India.  His poetry chapbook “real and unreal” was published by ICOE Press.