SELECTED POETRY

by
Tom Murray

VICTOR MATURE IS DEAD

No more muscled grin.
No more collapsing cardboard pillars
to Delilah’s anguished look.
No more barred entry to a club
that admits no actors, to say.
“ I’m no actor. And I have 27 films
and a book of reviews to prove it.”
No more looking Victor Mature
while others chase the fox.
He knew the game. He played the part.
He stole every inch of celluloid from under
their noses, with only a look, a raise of the eyebrow.
Victor Mature is dead.
I think not.

© Tom Murray

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A MEMORY OF DANCING

A memory of dancing
together, Mother and Son
in Blackpool Tower Ballroom.

A memory of Knickerbocker Glories
when they were ten feet tall
and real ice cream on Scarborough way.

A memory of a boy forever at your side.
A memory of showing you my first story.
A memory of you singing ‘My Way’
(Frank Sinatra eat your heart out.)

A memory.

A memory of dancing
Together, Mother and Son
in Blackpool Tower Ballroom.

© Tom Murray

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NEW YORK NEW YORK

Hotel doormen speaking out of the corner of their mouths
Like every New York film you ever saw.

Central Park, joggers jogging,
Talkers talking politics.
Vendors making a buck
Packs of pampered pets
Walking their walkers.

Lincoln Centre, an orchestra morphing
Into Glenn Millar style
While students pretend to study in the midday sun.

Me spilling my coffee
Clicking the digital camera
Of my mind.

Thinking
This is the life.
It’s good to be a writer.

© Tom Murray

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BIOGRAPHY

TOM MURRAY is a full time writer living in the Scottish Borders. He is currently, along with Stuart Hepburn, one of the Writers in Residence to Clackmannanshire Council. He has been a lecturer in Creative Writing at Borders College. He works extensively with writers groups and Schools. Recently he was Writer in Residence to Galashiels Academy and he is currently Writer in Residence to Peebles High School. He is also co editor, along with Julian Colton, of the Eildon Tree magazine. Along with Julian he organised the 2005 Borders Book Festival fringe. He has had a collection of stories published, ‘Out of My Head.’ Also a poetry collection ‘The Future is behind You.’ Also a play ‘The Clash.’ He has been widely published in magazines and anthologies in the USA and Canada, as well as the UK. Magazines include: Rebel inc; Markings; Cutting Teeth; Northwords; Tears in the Fence, Front and Centre, Iota and Fire. He has contributed to anthologies such as Wordjig: New Fiction from Scotland, published by Hanging Loose Press, New York. He won the Fish one page short story competition in 2005 and was published in the Fish Competition Anthology. His plays have been performed at various venues including the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, and the Arches Theatre in Glasgow. This included the ‘I Confess’ production by the Arches Theatre Company.

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