In and About

 

In and About

 

Sharing four quite separate states,

controlling borders, shouting orders,

dumb eyed fried chicken quarters,

might vault over your rolls of razor wire

with a ‘you, get over here, squire’,

when the lady does require refilling.

Back-slouching, altogether alone,

rolling their eyes at scrolling phones,

drop a word or two before home,

it was vibing when they slayed it.

It’s enough to make you cry, ask why,

you never saw this lot coming,

posting replies to an absent someone’s

streams of piss from minds of dribble,

double magnetised wiped cassettes

and could achieve some stardom yet,

but the clock’s a wazzapping away,

while sitting together with zero to say,

only blank slates quarried here today,

the dramatic without the irony

are showboating in rainbow’s finery,

posing in mirrors with feathered friends.

Howling in delight at empty shells

and as pleased with themselves

as an oncoming punch, wave farewell,

so long, they’ll maybe see you later

to shake a cocktail; meet a maker.

Well, What Difference Does It Make?

 

Well, What Difference Does It Make?

 

Oh yes, it’s definitely got ringlets

that tumble grumbling in babydoll curls

masking its sack-cloth ears.

Bespoke though, and neatly tailored

to hear what it wants to hear,

and see what it wants to see.

And, if that is a hare lip,

well, why notice how it’s

been subtly reverse engineered,

into a mouth so carefully steered

free from under a button nose,

to smell what it wants to smell,

kiss butter lips that tell and tell.

Gently, now, it could easily melt

into offensive puddles if pushed:

just let it counter, strut thrust chest,

phone in the right and latte left,

none too clever, none to bright.

A degree in what? Oh well, it’ll serve,

you hire what you deserve

and look, everyone goes these days,

takes three years of gender studies,

or a diploma in repossessed minorities.

You’re lucky it liberated itself,

frankly, made it out of bed today to teach,

struggled scot free of sheets,

ordered a little something to eat.

Just branflakes, nothing fancy,

scooter driven to save time

for preaching global warming is a crime,

swinging its bag for life with the rest.

It’s got a use-by shelf life, though,

and, look here, its clock’s ticking,

what conscience it’s got is pricking,

bad mouthing all that bad grammar,

dropping balls before it’s caught out.

It’s up-sticks and off to inflict itself

upon some other nation

like all these children of stagnation

much farther from here, much better.

Won’t stay in touch, send no letters:

better to travel thoughtlessly than arrive

spreading notions of entitlement and pride,

and all those hearts it didn’t break

sing well what difference did it make?

Tinea Pedis

Tinea Pedis

 

Stealthy blighter, padding on tiny feet,

sly stepping oversteps, toe by toe,

that gorse between dim forests grow

like stubborn beards who should know,

spreading Tinea Pedis in microspores

slakes slack tongue in unjust cause.

 

Cloak himself in welcome night's

fractured rash and clammy skin,

engorging ever outwards from within,

envious hankering with greasy spin,

marching proud he likes to speak

of Tinea Pedis and aching feet.

 

Unsightly hives will breed and grow

by lunching long on sweaty flakes,

his pallid snow footing by mistake

in summer’s ruin, in poison snakes.

It’s wrong to scratch but no one looks,

or seeks a cure or consults books.

 

Parasite lurks in paradise spawned,

picks his toenails, flicks his fingers,

bouncing prick in corn plaster lingers,

talks limb disease and mottled timber,

blow gaudy whistles, hang bell on nipples,

singing Tinea Pedis has us crippled.

A Michaelmas Daisy

 A Michaelmas Daisy

 

Years sailed by before she could be touched,

and how stung the strings of cellos plucked

in low bowing doubled, she’s sowing weeds

of wild michaelmas daisies’ flowered seed,

then does frivolous plunge such snip-stems

in remembrance that her vase surely overbrims.

 

I taught her, saw her teach; she was my peach

blossom to tumble so far distant from reach

that my tempests blew such tousles in blonde

frothed cream of utmost shore and palm frond,

bestrewn by all exposure, sullied with sorrow,

so sucked full of substance it burst with hollow.

 

I flew to her over spun gold daisy lapped lake,

whirled above shallows deep of currents made,

held hands as though she could not let us fall,

so tongued and grooved I can still feel years call

out cradled locks to dance in partnered strides,

gladly raised her up once she raised me inside.

 

But she spat out those seeds when devils called

out my pride and curled herself into needle balls

of spitting cat calls, all hackles and arched back

brow-scrawls in cursive that before she lacked,

offered scratched whip-twigged hands to snatch

shut bunker door and cabled snapdragon dispatch.

 

Still dripping sap, liquor oozing water bloomed

strong wildflowers and in blossomed perfumes

stubborn stubble geese did feast's table refuse,

sheathed warriors’ swords that I once used,

rebuffed fury long years had now misplaced.

blessed michaelmas’ wild daisy’s gentle face.