Attacca

Attacca

 

Now it’s time for the year to croak,

and your muffler chokes your duffle coat,

trailing scarves, mittens from strings -

chalk up these as few of your favourite things.

Now, with percussion of coughs, sneezes,

quick, quick, take Beechams, strepsiled throats,

sing a song of cherry menthol tunes.

Now, take space between Christmas dreams

and a glorious dawning of New Year,

to relax, legs up and spin the overture,

footballs, kick backs, downfield crosses,

parked buses and celebtate nil-nil draws.

Now, Footfalls measured, underlined, flossed,

join average punters outside dim lit stores,

buy cut price roped-soaps, body scrubs,

shiver at the freezing of the blood.

Now, Janus is astern wrapped in plastic

sees you peel back everything on your table,

pictures painted of straw and stables,

they'll put jam on your carrots, say it's good,

every little helps and this is not just food.

Now, Janus is forward, scopes naked trees,

fixes on recycling collecting, uncollected,

hollow empties that bottle banks rejected,

drooling from boxes, leaking from bags,

winds whip and chase torn papers in drag.

Now, in a coda, Santa’s gifts born like seeds,

sprouts germinating from microbeads.