“I have 56 Bob Dylan CDs,” David says. “I got into his music at the time of his (and my own) conversion, and started collecting all his records. My favourite album is Shot of Love. I like that Dylan invented himself – he invented re-inventing yourself. His songs are meaningful and relevant. I’m not a big fan of his recent work but I still listen to everything he puts out. He’s an artist and an inspiration – though I’m trying to be more objective about his work and influence on my own writing.”
David is a well-known and highly regarded writer. His website, A Street Spirituality, is a source of thoughtful and thought-provoking psychological and spiritual reflection. The late Father Brian Stoney, co-founder of Cana Communities, said: “David Marsh is most competent to compose poetry that speaks powerfully about the human condition. He writes sensitively, finding hope, dignity and reverence in the darkest, most abject and chaotic of persons and things. David knows the soul. He is a passionate searcher of the soul.”
The clarity of David’s work is striking. One short prayer reads: “Lord, You attracted people by means of Your virtue. May I attract people by means of the same.” “The Deepest Hunger” is a good example of David’s gift for handling the complex while maintaining respect for depth and mystery. The poem concludes: “Every other hunger/ Is the hunger to love …”
“I have lived in Sydney’s inner city for over 30 years, including time in and out of South Sydney,” David says. “I have now been settled in my housing commission unit for nearly 10 years. It is just perfect for me, and it has walls at unusual angles, which add character.
“I began writing at 19 but only did it to show to friends. I began to write seriously in the late ’90s when two friends approached me with the idea of publishing a book [David has published three books to date]. Most of my writing happens in bed at night. I gave up using a notebook, as the ideas were never completed. The piece of writing comes all at once or not at all.” The writing process entails longhand drafts proceeded by typed and printed copies then final versions uploaded to the website.
Several years ago a poem of David’s called “Ceremonies of the Streets” was set to music by folk artist Steve Langella and published in a songbook. Collaborations with other writers have elicited appreciation of various approaches and styles, but David is very much a self-taught and independent artist.
He mentions that one day he’d like to meet Joseph Tawadros, a Sydney-based oud player. A friend at Title music store in Crown Street first played him the recordings of the Egyptian-born virtuoso. “I like to listen to music most of the day, just walking around the house or while I’m smoking,” David says. “You can listen to music without distractions.”
David is also drawn to the visual arts. He has made several pastel drawings and a large painting he made of the Cosmic Christ hangs in his living room. “I was enrolled in a communications course at Uni,” David adds. “My favourite subject was Film Studies.”
David describes his work as essentially Christian, though “not always traditional”. There’s something prophetic about his musings on non-violence and justice. The recurring figure of Jesus is a teacher of Wisdom as well as a Presence known in vulnerability and community. A liturgical piece called simply “A Blessing” offers something of a belief statement: “May you know by your heart what is real / May living waters cleanse your soul / By loving may you understand / To live the life that God has planned/ Because of you may others live/ Because of you may others love / That you may find within your heart / A paradise; a work of art.”
