. . . a broad brit abroad . . .

“I’m hyper–intelligent, I drive a TGV or fly my A380 with golden bath taps to work, I’ve won 17 nobel prizes under 18 different pseudonyms, I rule 2 countries and I’m world champion at conkers. As you can see, I’m really rather a modest chap.”

I posted that on a contact site. I thought it nicely suited all those beautiful Canadian models temporarily residing in Nigeria. But it’s not absolutely perfectly 100% spot–on accurate. That’s this page’s purpose, to present the actual me—well, what I’d like you to read, not the one I like to believe, not the one I don’t admit to myself, let alone the real real.

So, hello, I’m dylan harris, English in France, proud to be a technogeek.

“Are you the Dylan who brontosaurused me and some goats during those heady days of spring ’24 in Ulaanbaator?”, or “I once met a preacher called Dylan who convinced me of the transcendental joy of darning socks—are you he?”, ask occasional emails (dylan virgule harris à live virgule ie). Er … no to both.

My personality’s an arts voyager; I’ve poetry, photography and music out there. Professionally, I’m a computer nerd, building software. I’m fascinated by sci & tech.

I remember
           as a child
standing on a pebble shore
watching ships
                      at sea
sailing
uncaring
over
     the edge
             of the world.
(from Expanding Horizons)

You have reached the obligatory list paragraph. Likes: belgian beer, english beer, french red, german white, italian rosé, village pubs, good food especially the Michelin–starred, science–fiction, eccentric cars, current affairs, self–conducted travel. Preferred composers and performers: Stockhausen, Birtwhistle, Xenakis, Beethoven, Reich, Schnittke, Pãrt, Adams, Peter Brötzmann, and many more. Ironically, despite enjoying electronica, I detest clubs. You want another list? Alright, story tellers: Iain (M) Banks, Samuel R Delany, Vernor Vinge, William Shakespeare, ….

I was bought up in a rural shire. Like most village kids, I fancied the big city, so I studied in the smoke. I found expectation was unmet by real, but it took me years to leave—completing my Computing Science course, then living under the M25.

But here’s another contradiction, I’ve chosen foreign conurbation.

moonshine fire cathedral
mechelse embleem
my goodbyeing purrtrips stone low doors
gloom loom

walk short emptiness de markt
de grote markt
this wrong town too
i’ll rue depart

and heavyland target
are you om kirke? te deum?
and the living AWK your reputation counters
your architecture states
am you error?
is ever am dragmove error?
ever’s gaan?
error?
error?

Ik zal zien
                  (from Mechelen)

Stereotypes suggest vegetarians are thin, dogs mistake them for lamp–posts. I’m not at all, indeed, Norwegian whalers mistake me for commercial opportunity.

I used to suffer such a dreadful clothing sense my mother alternated between being in despair and being in stitches. I’ve resorted to that male device, a one colour wardrobe.

As for sexuality, you are what you are: accept it or go loopy.

My lust, a violating fire of force,
can burn from silent calm in dark forlorn
to whims of torment striking out. A course
to deepest guilt, perhaps, but I was born
this way, and love this way, I must. That rare
courageous one, I seek, a phoenix from
the gulls, who gains her smaller death in fear
and suffered flames: we’ll share our burning wrong.
                  (from Her Catching Eyes)

That’s enough of that. Current projects include:

• To get poets live up.
• Get settled in France.

Well, that’s that, then. I hope you’re suitably impressed? :-) Oh.