Father Jack's Poetry Corner
Many people only know Father Jack Hackett as 'the drunk one from Father Ted'. But as well as being an inspiration and role model to thousands of Catholic Students worldwide, he is also a post-structuralist poet of no mean ability. I include here several excerpts from "Floor Polish Nights", his latest anthology, together with my own critical comments.
"Floor Polish Nights" by Fr. Jack Hackett (Cathsoc Press,1997)
The book begins with the startling brutalism of "Women of God"
"Nuns!
NUNS!!
Reverse!REVERSE!Reverse"
Fr Hackett's ouevre is excactly this kingdof emotionally direct poetry. Never a one to use 40 words where one would do, Fr Hackett precisely defines his feelings towards the female orders of the Catholic church.
But, in many peoples eyes, Fr Hackett's real genius is when it comes to his favoured topic, as in "Bottle of Whiskey/Bottle of Jif"
"Drink!Drink!Drink!Drink!
"DRINK!"
Obviously, this is more powerful in it's original 34 verses but for the purposes of space I have included only one of these here. No other poet could approach this subject with such knowledgable passion As Fr Hackett. Witness the build up of expectation in the first line, the ecstatic supplicatary pause, followed by the almost orgasmic cry of delight. It is rare to see drink described in such sexual terms.
Finally, I present an excerpt from Jack's miesterwerk
"A day in the life of a senile alcoholic preist"
"Drink! Feck! Arse! Girls!"
I feel there is a real anger here, as Jack demands what, as a old man, is denied to him. Bitterly asserting his own, unwanted, sexuality and desire for simple "fun", he is decrying the lot of the elderly everywhere, with particular referance to men of the cloth. Giving up his life for his calling, Fr Hackett laments the life-long denial of his sexuality. Notice that drink is placed first on his list of desires, as he needs to drink to circumvent his raging guilt at having these desires. One can only guess at the true nature of his repressed sexuality, notice "Arse" comes after "Feck", but before "Girls" in his tragic litany.
Analysis of Fr Jack's deeply meaningful work, 'Christianity'
"That would be an ecumenical matter,Father"
Obviously, Fr Jack is a man of the world and has lived through great change, a change so vast that many have succumbed to it's depth and have chosen to ignore it and merely to go about their own business. Jack,on the other hand, realises the overwhelming responsibilities the Modern Church has in allowing 400 years of prejudice to spoil over when it's blatantly obvious that it would be so much easier to accept the fact that they all follow the same bloody God and that Jesus was his son. In this poignant poem, Jack has realised the senselessness of it all, but modestly, yet greatly, lays the blame at everyones' door in their failure to realise that it would be far easier to accept everyone as who they are and then go off for a pint.
the above submitted by 'The Tweekster'
YET MORE TO FOLLOW.........
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