Roy Joseph Cotton – September 11, '53 – March 10, '85

Roy commenced writing poetry during his latter school years. He read prolifically and was passionate about music and was a devote to Bob Dylan. He wrote many plays or "Musical Paintings" as he called them, and was also busy with two works "Multimythicum" and "Girlpools, Whirpools, and other gusts of Twirling Hair". He wrote from the security of a warm, close family in a comfortable Cape Town (South Africa) suburb. Yet most of his huge output of poems reflect a consuming angst. It was an angst which drove him to search for peace throughout books, music, writing, and religion, and it led to ultimate despair. His highly idiosyncratic way with language and the intense pressure of his emotional and spiritual concerns make his poetry compelling and disturbing reading. His untimely death at age of 31 cut short his promising career as a poet.

Green-wicked enchantress

GREEN-WICKED ENCHANTRESS

A Woman wooing from
the raspberry night
mirth darker than
kisses, only that this
might forever curdle
in the depths, is none
other than that green-
wicked Enchantress, Poesy,
who tries to make me
think that through
poemsinging i can
actually outsoar the
loneliness of a parkingmeter.
Only Doom thunders under-
foot her petticoat; the
sallow hush of carswans
breaking the cough of
seatired spinsters.

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