Daily Poetry Readings #88: Conjuring in Heaven and Glimpse by Ted Hughes read by Dr Iain McGilchrist

Part 88 of a daily series of readings of his favourite poetry by Dr Iain McGilchrist, author of The Master and His Emissary. Today’s poems are Conjuring in Heaven and Glimpse by Ted Hughes

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~ Conjuring in Heaven by Ted Hughes ~

So finally there was nothing.
It was put inside nothing.
Nothing was added to it
And to prove it didn’t exist
Squashed flat as nothing with nothing.

Chopped up with a nothing
Shaken in a nothing
Turned completely inside out
And scattered over nothing–
So everybody saw that it was nothing
And that nothing more could be done with it

And so it was dropped. Prolonged applause in Heaven.

It hit the ground and broke open–

There lay Crow, cataleptic.

~ Glimpse by Ted Hughes ~

‘O leaves,’ Crow sang, trembling, ‘O leaves – ‘
The touch of a leaf’s edge at his throat
Guillotined further comment.

Nevertheless
Speechless he continued to stare at the leaves
Through the god’s head instantly substituted.