Matt Harvey
In 1992 began performing poems and is now a veteran of the UK’s festival circuit.
He is President of MIND in Exeter and East Devon and helps organise its regional Off the Wall comedy festival. Since co-writing and co starring in two series of One Night Stanza in 2001/02 he has become a regular Radio 4 voice, contributing to programmes such as Off The Page, Word of Mouth and A Good Read. He writes songs too.
Matt has published five books; Here We Are Then, Songs Sung Sideways, Standing Up To Be Counted Out, Curtains and Other Material and most recently The Hole in the Sum of my Parts which contains a selection from the previous four books plus some new bits.
The Full Empathic Mile
To walk a mile in someone else’s shoes
To look out from behind their eyes, to feel
How they might feel, and know why they might choose
To cross the line – to hurt, to cheat, to steal.
And we might wear…
A rogue’s brogues, a mugger’s mules, a stalker’s sneakers
An embezzler’s espadrilles, a crack-dealer’s clogs
An industrial polluter’s winkle-pickers…
…For to be empathic is to walk thus shod
We could go further on the cat-walk of compassion
Try on trousers, skirts, socks, assorted leisure-wear
Beneath the beige we’ll sense the treasure there
Though it may not be the cutting edge of fashion
Let’s not let such idealism be scorned
Or shrugged off with a patronising smile
But remember, walk the full empathic mile
And not a merely metric one. Be warned:
I’m speaking now with hindsight and with candour
Of the time when tried on my sister’s bra
Then felt self-conscious and did not walk far…
…Thus to this day I still don’t understand her
The Butterflies of Doom
it’s just before the matinee
my tum begins to mutiny
anticipating scrutiny
my vocal cords go mute on me
it’s not as if it’s new to me
but that’s what fright can do to me
it’s not a crisitunity
it’s a full-blown calamity
‘yes, I’m comiiing’
it’s not a prima donna thing
I really really wanna sing
I’ll join you in the wings as soon
as I have finished vomiting
‘butterflies again, is it?’
If I had a tenor for every time they mention butterflies
I’d have myself a male voice choir - no lies
okay it’s only butterflies, but butterflies the size of bats
they’re butterflies with attitude, they’re scampering around like rats
they’re butterflies with tracksuits on, with jackboots on, with a soupcon
of utter paralysing dread
that built and built inside my head
and led me to my darkest hour…
I stepped out through the backstage door
said ‘ta-ta’ to the orchestra, ‘… I may be gone some time’
it took not weeks and months but years
to temper these disabling fears
- but it goes to show that one’s career’s
not over
til the big-boned lady sings…
I just caught a lovely poem on R4 at 9.30 this morning about walking in other people's shoes. I think it was your's. How can I obtain a written copy? Is it on the internet?
Regards
Richard Shepherdson
Complain about this postWas listening to this morning's programme in the car and the poem featured was fantastic - the one about walking in other people's shoes. Could you confirm that Matt Harvey was today's poet and the name of that poem, please.
Thank you.
Complain about this postChristina Innes