The Familiar

[Wjames]

The Familiar


There is a kind of person who always eats
four eggs a day, who makes coffee for two
and always sets aside one half of the drink 
for all those mornings when he or she
could not be bothered to carefully weigh
his or her beans and water. This person always sleeps A strong opening, it sucks you in. There are three "always" to this point, to my eyes the first one does the job. The repetition may reinforce how rigid this routine is, and contrasts with the sometimes later on, so I think there could be some merit to having it repeated, but it's worth thinking about - maybe just two would suffice? I feel the same way about "he or she" and then "his or her". "This person" backs up the ambiguity of the gender anyways. 
at nine, stirs at six, and goes to work
three hours after waking up. What do they do?

Stretched out on a table is a leather
canvas turning paler and paler
as the hours come in. The chat begins "the chat" is a small phrase that adds a lot of character to the piece.
with that day's weather, then the crossword,
what comics are repeated,
before they go to the major reports -- For some reason I find "they go to" bland. I think maybe just "before the major reports" would be better. Of course, the topic and discussion is bland, so maybe the description should be as well.
what movies are hits, which stars to court --
as jars, then cabinets, are filled. I don't know the answer to the question at the end of the first stanza, but it doesn't bother me - it makes me ask that question to myself and think, which is nice.

At twelve o'clock, it's time for lunch,
at one it's time for tea. Always they heat I like bringing back always here.
twelve ounces of water for their pot
of two teaspoons' worth of leaves rolled up
by some poor chap from China
and, without fail, they come to need
the toilet for right when they've done
with their strawberry jam and scones. I love long sentences like this that have the bones to support themselves.

For evening leisure, sometimes they read "Sometimes", contrasting with the always above - makes the reader think.
Beckett, but more often Pound.
"More often now do I reflect
on the little garden kept
by two dear friends of ours, too often dusted
during our visits with tar and ash
like a plate of Cafe du Monde's" 
is how they hear the answer to

a simple "What's the time?"
"You know, the Jew 

Hey River, this one is fun to read, and although it isn't entirely clear, why does it need to be? 

To my read, it's about fear of the unfamiliar and foreign, and to some extent the banality of evil.

I did some googling because I was curious, and found this article relating to the burning of Kew Gardens by suffragettes in 1912, and the birth of imagism at a garden around the same time with Pound and H.D.: https://modernismmodernity.org/articles/...ry-gardens

It seems likely this is referenced in the poem, and it's interesting to think on how - I am not entirely sure.

I don't have much crit to offer, just my thoughts on the poem.