Listening to the radio yesterday I caught this wee poem. It was being read by the Scots actor Tom Conti, who has a great voice. He has to be the coolest thing that ever came from Paisley! I was caught by the sentiment of the poem for sure, but mainly for the way that the author caught something so immediate and universal so perfectly, in such few words.
Two Inches Tall,
Yesterday, I felt two inches tall,
far too small to do anything much at all,
except call your name,
except call your name.
and it was one of those days when the wind blows cold,
and which ever way you turn it wont leave you alone,
and you want to be alone,
and you want to be loved,
but the aloneness is sore,
and the love's not enough.
and you long to see the light again that shone in her eyes,
and you long to feel the warmth that you felt when she smiled,
and you long to be back there when it mattered what you said,
when the words came out right,
and your heart and your head,
and how they performed,
were like one.
Yesterday I felt two inches tall,
far too small to do anything much at all,
except call your name,
except call your name,
and it was one of those days,
when you know the road home,
whichever road you take,
will be long.
Sheila K Cameron.
Photo by Alistair
To visit Sheila's website and hear Tom recite this poem, click here
see you later.
11 comments:
Yes--disturbingly familiar--that cranky yearning lonesomeness that says on the surface--"Leave me alone" when we really mean "Try to get past the barriers and find me!"
It made me cry - been there, still am after two years; says it all
Well that brought back some old feelings
Two Inches Tall-brought tears to my eyes. What a profoundly moving yet beautifully simple poem. Great site too- marvellous voice and really interesting songs.
Hullo 'anon',
Glad you enjoyed it so much. Thanks for the comment.
regards.....Al.
Alistair - Thankyou for your comments about Two Inches Tall - I really appreciate them. Also could I send you the words as they were used by Tom Conti when he made the recording. Best wiahes Sheila(KC)
Sheila,
Thank you for your kind response. I hope you don't mind me passing on your lovely poem and a link to your site through my blog. I heard it initially on Radio Scotland at the end of an interview with Tom.
Please do send the words to me and I'll amend any that are incorrect. You can either e-mail to Alistair1403@yahoo.com or drop me a line there and I will pass you an address.
thanks again.......Al.
Hi Alistair,Great blog-I enjoy the variety of your comments,and your sense of humour.
I also like going through the archived blogs and noticed that the very moving poem Two Inches Tall by Sheila K Cameron, spoken by Tom Conti which you featured at beginning of May 2010 still has a small mistake in the words.In the line beginning "And whichever way you turn..
it should continue "it wont leave you alone". "It" refers back to the cold wind.
Keep up the good work,
With kind wishes,
Angela
Hi Angela,
Many thanks for the lovely comment and pointing that out. I actually got that correction from Sheila herself soon after publishing and I thought I'd corrected at that time but obviously hadn't. Anyway, thanks to your help in pointing it out, it's sorted now.
Thanks for that Angela. I hope your drop by again and please, feel free to comment on anything you come across. Feedback helps!
Cheers!
Alistair,
I notice that there is now a link to your blog from the website of Sheila K Cameron http://sheilakcameron.com/id78.html
Best wishes,
Angel Doran
Thanks for letting me know. A nice compliment from Sheila.
Post a Comment