ABOUT DEDICATION

those people who exaggerate
& outright lie thru their teeth
about how wasted they got
about the hell they raised
& the mess they became
to impress a different circle

really devalue the work & effort
the dedicated rest of us made
to get really bent & derelict
after-hours in the fields & marsh
in the fog with the cattle
hysterical & leaping
at the heavy blur of the moon

 

THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD

in the evening
the metronome
thud thud thud
repeats repeat repeats
across the
marsh marsh marsh

thud thud thud
thud thud thud
thud thud thud

well what is it ?
what is it ?
what the fug fug fug
could it be be be ?

thud thud thud
thud thud thud
thud thud thud

so mechanical
so regular
so big big big

we cant even guess

~

obviously
we look out the window
& see see see
nothing there

obviously
we open the front door
& it gets louder louder louder
& nothing more

thud thud thud
thud thud thud
thud thud thud

so we google & search
search search search
& find a twitter spat
in kent last week
about this noise noise noise

& its the port
the river port
making more port
with a pile driver

thud thud thud
thud thud thud
thud thud thud

fug fug fug
we say say say

fug

FRAG 17

 

the
river
looks
like flaking chrome

from behind the cranes animal shapes

marsh & port
between us

spring willows on my mind

FROM A CREMATORIUM GARDEN, RETAIL PARK BEHIND ME

the marsh
looked like the kind of marsh
something should be rolling in from

but theres only wind
blowing on the ragged robin 

the bugle & the horsetail
& on the blackberry brambles

& cows
uncluttered cows

without secrets
bowed & calm

sentinel markers

on the way to the river

to the great canal 

to the puget sound

& all the water in the world

BLOATED HORRORSHOW POPS

the day is brave

coming for me relentless again

when it knows
it knows

& the ports muffled crash-booms 
travel over the history marsh

giants playing jenga 
with containers again


~


we all live fast
we all die young

death just takes its time

delayed by our refusal
&
insistent bloated reminisces 


~


a dna accident trail
like a slug or snail

tethers me readable

back 
thru all the 
dodged signposts gateways


~


realitys a timed-out screen saver
default horrorshow wallpaper

im searching for a mouse to kick

thoroughly frustrated with impermanence 
&
the
relentless
relentless
Maintenance Of It All

from screensaverplanet.com

NIGHT SHIFT POP

i 
was
a
white night shadow 
burning stubby blunts 
under the weak starshine

writing pops with a work pen
in a borrowed well stolen pad

waiting for the milk train
almost running just for me 

~

empty seats
trainers up
bag-warm beer

early mist 
a fantasy-scape
over
fishing lake mirrors
&
the
green green green
estuary
jungle

~

my reflection
is like
by an
impressionist
&
i brace for it
brace for dawns 
brotherhood to fade

hoping sleep will take me
before
noon
in the crashbang of day

from greenhutgalleries.me

NO SHIT LITTLE FRIEND

i had a little friend
once upon a time

and he would say
motorbikes are the safest
cos you can jump free
in a 
traffic accident 
situation

he said that
no shit

my little friend

~

and
my little friend
moaned
about
the
walk
home
after the pub so much
i used to carry him

he would call me his cart horse
and say giddyup horsey

we had no cash for a cab
he had no money for rounds
i had a bottle for the road

my dreams were blinkered
under 
the
inconstant trumpet moon
and
strength was all i had

for me
for my little friend
for anyone

~

and one time

i dont know why

but
i kicked him in the kneecap
with my work boots on
and he fell down a hill
where the town stopped
and the marsh started

and now i never understood this
but he was always keen
to re-enact this event

he was
no shit

and i was always willing
to kick
my little friend
in the kneecap
with my work boots on

~

hes gone now

to the
southern hemisphere

and
the
last
time
i
saw
him
was in awful daylight 
outside the library
cos he wouldnt
come out
for evening drinks
anymore

he must stay in
he said
to polish his parents brass

my little friend said that
no shit

~

i wonder how he is
and if he remembers his cart horse
like
i
remember
the
jumper
he
wore
that would ripple with flames
if you threw a lit match at him

and
we
all
did
that

from mocktheorytest.com

NATURE RESERVE INCIDENT

on a bench hewn from log
my hangover is slid sideways
when
i
find
a
half-joint in a deep pocket
Silver Fish i called them - stiff and dry
its
end
a
crumbling black crater

scene is 
nature reserve on reclaimed marsh
boardwalks / plaques
the Thames a touch away

i
light
it
and
smoke
it
and
then 
i 
am 
pointing my camera at unremarkable birds
  clicking and clicking 
    fuzzy photos of smudged brown feathers
      again and again

sooooooo much
i
make
myself
laugh and laugh and laugh - clicking photo fool !
suddenly 
high
loosened
and
undone

 from rspb.org