Another major influence on me was Dada which lead to another major influence: Surrealism. In particular the art, which was at time more gimmick & concept than painterly technique. I loved Marcel Duchamp – ‘The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even’ visually & conceptually infused me with a strong sense of the possible, while Salvador Dali infused me with a strong sense of the absurd.
The collages used ironic, sometimes non sequitur, images to create an emotional & intellectual resonance in the viewer. One writer Tristan Tzara would take random lines from random books to create poem. This was also the movement that invented the to disorientate readers. I have several books of their writings, painting and recordings of their music (Satie). Dada was the start of surrealism & cubism. 
I also see the movement’s influence on T.S Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Ginsberg, ee cummings, Warhol. Both the art and the writing demonstrated to me that linear narrative isn’t necessary. Imagery didn’t have to make sense to make sense. Sometime the power in a word or words was in how they sounded, in how they resonated in the reader, rather than in what story they might be telling.
The photos in my blog here reflect my Dada influence, rarely do they have anything to do with the text. When I’m taking pictures it’s sometimes the odd juxtaposition of objects that attracts my eye. My poems can include what to me is surrealist images: ‘balls like emu eggs in my hand’ ‘my fridge made a pass at me the other day.’ 
Dada & surrealism respected the power of the dream, of automatic writing as a creative process. Of course if I could become famous by signing urinals I’d give it a try.
Lʼamour domestique
my fridge made a pass at me
the other day
I was in my usual hurry
to get the milk
when
the door caressed my cheek
pushed me into its cool
welcoming heart
now Iʼm not into sex
with inanimate objects if I was
I would probably pick
my coffee maker
something small and easy to satisfy
the fridge is never filled
always has demands that
make me feel inadequate
while the coffee machine
fills to brim so quickly
yes give me hot and perky
to big and cold – any day
but it was one of those days
the kitchen chairs were
plucking at my pant legs
like over excited little dogs
humping a foot
it made eating almost impossible
I wasnʼt sure
what to do with the left overs
the fridge was glaring me
petulant
at being snubbed
in favour of the coffee maker
in the bathroom
the face cloth competed
with the tooth brush
to get in my mouth
until the towels
pulled them aside
to push me into the shower
they needed all my body wet
for the satisfaction they craved
I didnʼt have the moral strength
to deny them anything
they rubbed and dried
every square inch
the sofa was anxious for me to
snuggle in front of the TV
I had to watch
home decorating shows
about getting cute little throws
hints from the sofa
of what would make
our family complete
in bed the pillows
tenderly cradled my head
as the sheets twined around me
hungry for dreams
about coffee makers
every Tuesday 2019
June – Capturing Fire 2019 – Washington D.C. 
capfireslam.org
August 2-13: getting back to my roots in Cape Breton 
Hey! Now you can give me $$$ to defray blog fees & buy coffee on my trip to Cape Breton – sweet,eh? paypal.me/TOpoet
Hey! Or you can give me $$$ to defray blog fees & buy coffee in Washington at 2020’s capfireslam.org – sweet, eh? paypal.me/TOpoet
Like my pictures? I post lots on Tumblr
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/topoet
