Friday, 18 March 2016

THE THEORY OF THE COULOMBS


I know that the first thing you are expecting is for me to explain the theory or at least tell you what a Coulomb is. I honestly can't remember. The one [and only time] I ever discussed Coulombs before writing the poem was back in 1972. But you can find out all about Coulombs here and I hope you are more the wiser than I was when I looked at it.
Essentially it is something to do with electrical charge. I was supposed to have a basic understanding back in the day when I was an apprentice. The poem is as I remember the event.


The Theory of The Coulombs
or The Eternal Lust of The Electrical Engineer


He reduces electrical theory to
Sophia Loren on a bicycle
and all us students are Coulombs
chasing her inside the copper wire.
Obviously she's the attraction he declares,
and we are racing to catch her up.
Think of resistance as a steep hill,
we have to pedal faster
because we can't let her get away!

It works for him obviously, for he has the lust,
the dreams of what they'll do once they meet.
I am sat in silence,
thinking that she is old enough to be my mother,
noting the gleam in his eye,
as he talks of getting closer...

All his efforts are met with blank faces.
It is our fault. He decides we are dullards,
with no imaginations.
I am not sure that the poem needs the last stanza. I am leaning towards the decision to remove it. Less in poetry is always more. What do you think?
The poem came about because I was looking at a drawing of cyclists which stirred the memory from the subconscious silt in my head.

I've been listening to Judee Sill this week. I got the Live in London lp about 2 weeks ago and I can't decide if there has been a mistake in the transfer speed. It seems slightly too fast to my ears...
This made me return to her two lps. I bought the first one back in 1972 the week it came out, don't know why it just said buy me when I walked into the record shop.
It took me about two years to find the second lp as it was not promoted by the record company. But it was worth the wait.
Enjoy.

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