Same Shit, Same Planet (Slight Return)

Same Shit, Same Planet (Slight Return)

‘It’s always a bloody new recipe,’

exploded Father

upon noticing the price

had risen to a shilling

and utterly uncharmed

by the cartoon tyger

sporting celebration between its fillings.

He’d flung the packet on the table

toasted and roasted

and we’d tittered nervously at the outburst

before polishing off the most of the packet

of gummy white bread, then:

‘How many new recipes can there possibly be?’

he’d raged that breakfast,

eyes bulging,

sweaty, threatening,

to detonate his dripping head

until they changed it to ‘seeded batch’ instead,

covered it with burnt bits that litter

grit grain on your teeth

with something bitter,

staking claims to make you fitter.

Oh, had we now but seen

in this primal howl,

guttural growl,

torn deep from breast,

we were something blessed

but most of us, content to rest

to this sound of civilization toppling,

rebranding of crumbling country

by lawyers for you,

who won’t be platformed,

malpracticed, adjusted or deformed,

 even whipped. Conned

into presenting tacky telethon charity

gala luncheons of scrag end of lamb

 for old age pensioners

stroking three legged cats,

taking their thrifty savings to food banks

composed of tins

and last year’s Easter eggs.

Those one-legged mutants

who stumble from this show to the next

speaking of disability,

bastards and unrequited sex

in time to trains, low on heat,

coupled to foul, filthy, rolling stock.

Over exposed, over used

and familiar with stair lifts

that rust their way

black dirt downward, falling motion

clunk-clickety-click, for want

of oily celebrities in hospitals,

somewhat sly touching thigh,

so sick they urge you retch,

grinning, watch you grip the bulkheads

of seasick swimming world

where graffiti covers every part,

for what is, is not, and what is not is art

and if it stops being fun, just stop
sucking hempen ropes

of weed that chokes

with sweet and sickly electric smoke

while the radio cries,

the radio beseeches,

the radio reaches out and teaches,

shape lives, inspire,

help me, save me; light the fire

while too many to remember do retire

their closed minds like granite

same shit, same planet.