Goldsmiths - University of London

Sara Bynoe

[ Biography ]

Fishing on a Jetty

In an art gallery
in Berlin
I am standing in front of a photograph
of a man fishing
dressed like Leonard Cohen
– or so I think –
because he's wearing a hat and black sunglasses.

The background is a city,
my city,
my home,
– or so I think –
because of green glass buildings against cloudy mountains,
pink apartments and a concrete seawall.

I am hooked back
to a place I've stood before –

where we got drunk on the beach the night of the fireworks
where I had a date with that guy I picked up on the bus
where I worked nights when my friends were on a world tour

– I think,
I don't know for sure,
it does seem like,
if I remember correctly,
I feel that it's–

The place I got caught
not that I noticed,
but I do notice
now that I am gone.

Recipe For a Lost Wallet

Pre-drink:
Find leftover martini mix in fridge – 1L.
Drink mix on the bus ride to Joe's.

At Joe's:
Meet Joe's rock star friends.
Drink Canadian Club and Coke.
Do triples for alliteration.

Mission Pre-drink accomplished.
Assume Mission Drunk.
Stumble – somehow –
The bus? A cab? Did someone drive?

Mission Drunk:
Location – the bar.
One shot of Jäger.
One gin and tonic.
And because they're rock stars –
One more shot of Jäger.

Link arms with Joe. Walk to night club.
Ask, "What's your friend's band called?"

BLACK OUT

Night club bouncer: "Honey, it's time to go home"

Actual time: 10:41 p.m.

BLACK OUT

In taxi: "I'm not going to puke in your cab!"

BLACK OUT

In bedroom: 3 a.m.
Find self half-dressed in bed.
Thankfully your own.
Go to the toilet.

Flat mate: "Are you ok?"

You: "Yeah, I'm fine."

Flat mate: "Are you sure?"

You: BLACK OUT

Three minutes later:
Drink water.
Fully undress.
Go back to sleep.

Wake up: 8 a.m.
Realize wallet is gone.
Wonder why there is grass in your hair.
Call Visa.

Get filled in by flat mate:
– Passed out in bushes.
– Neighbor brought you into building.
– Vomited for an hour.

Retrace steps.
Find wallet in a puddle of puke.
Visa still there.
Rejoice.
Call Visa back.
They understand.

Memory returns ...
Check cell phone outgoing calls.
See the name of your crush in list.
Check time:
1 min 45 seconds.
Think that's enough time to leave a pretty stupid message.
Hang head in shame.

Wait a week.
Repeat.

You

I want you to know how much
You don't mean to me.
When we did it,
It wasn't worthy of a poem.

When you didn't call me,
That wasn't worthy of a poem.
When you took me off your top MySpace friends,
I didn't even journal about it.

But contacting me
Four months later
For no reason
...

PS: When I read this three months later,
I didn't even remember who this was about.

[ Biography ]