Passing

This poem sequence explores ironically the concept of 'passing': beginning with a wink in Judith Butler's direction, it explores gender as a performance of reception, as much as by the subject, then proceeds to look at what 'passes' in grammar, death euphemistically 'passing' (or 'parsing') and situates real death and resurrection occurring via the social media ; the sequence proceeds to the conceit of 'passing' a choir audition, with reference to Rachel Carson's 'Silent Spring' and finally, looks at 'passing' as sexual treachery and exploitation, masked by the male persona here as global tour of ''key note' conference presentations, against a background of growing ecological malaise, whereby 'frog-princes' are revealed as cane toads. Thus the sequence is light but hopes to activate its unsettling and sinister undertow.