SNAKE:

Fast talking,
Angry mouths,
Talk behind me,
Without drawing breath,
Pure vitriol,
Numb on speed,
And sour adrenaline,

“You can’t buy anything with merits,
Even if you win a trophy you can’t buy anything with that!”

“Mommy’s going to give you money,
Every time you get merits,
More merits means more money,
But if you’re naughty,
Mommy will take money off you,
You’re not a baby now,
Stop crying!”

Betting shops,
Greengrocers,
Where do they get it from?
Family

(K)

TWO QUID OF BIG:

Espresso is the strong one John,
It does it for me,
It’s the taste,
I need something to wake me up John,
And it’s the taste,
It’s espresso,
I don’t care John,
It does it for me

(K)

NIGHT SCULPTURE:

As I watched the bubbles rise between her fingers,
I felt a reconnection with that dark & fabulous landscape,
Back on the freeway from LA to San Diego,
Surfing for a country station,
Take me back to the dust,
The vinyl scratch,
Before the itch that got me,
The stetson,
And embroidered cotton,
A pay packet,
And simplicity,
Honest dirt under the fingernails,
Can you see me?
It never happened,
But a Boy can dream,
Click,

When I looked again,
The dangerous woman had transformed herself,
Into a cloud of smoke

(K)

A BED FOR THE NIGHT:

She kept pushing it,
“Don’t you think?”
Don’t you think?”
I said,
“It’s great,
but have you seen my island?”
She paused,
Cut me a withering look,
“I love the sun”,
“I love the rain”,
I snapped,
Conscious of the Black hole she was digging for me,
Screwing her face up,
And as it crumpling it grew bigger,
Impossible,
But there it was,
The dangerous woman rocked,
The weight of her head taking her by surprise,
As her friend,
Lost in ecstasy,
Reviewed her photographs,
“Well, I need a cigarette!”
She mumbled,
Stumbling out the door,
Clutching the bubbles of her precious alcohol

(K)

DOG SITTER SANDRA:

She was held together with nicotine & alcohol,
“I’m desperate for a cigarette!”
She said,
Rocking from side-to-side,
Looking more desperate than that,
“Do you think if I go out they’ll let me back in?”

I thought she meant America,
“Maybe not”
I told her,
But she looked straight through me,
Lost in reverie,
As her friend clung to me,
Closer than bones,
Shifting position,
Beaming as the camera flashed,
“California is the best place on Earth don’t you think?”

(K)

THE RUST AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD:

Her face lit up as she said,
“I love California,
It’s the greatest place on Earth!”
Then turned dark as she remembered,
“But California doesn’t love me”,
Her history was secreted in the deep lines on her face,
But immediately brightened,
“No seriously,
Who are you?”
“Like I said,
I said,
“tonight I’m no one”

(K)

THE STAIN OUTSIDE YOUR HOUSE:

The dangerous woman said,
“I come from San Diego”,
I said,
“I know the radio station”,
And gave her the call sign,
But she didn’t know it,
Which made me wonder,
Was her dangerousness infinite?

(K)

BLACK HOLES:

I met a dangerous woman,
She came from South of the river,
She said,
“I don’t know who you are, but my friend does”
I told her I wasn’t anyone,
That her friend must be mistaken,
But her friend had her camera out,
Looking for someone to take a picture of us,
Sliding in beside me,
Beaming,
Putting down her drinks,
One in each fist,
The dangerous woman had three

(K)

THE TRAVELLER:

I see two mouths talking,
One hand covering,
Two hands hiding,
Feet with secrets,

You’re better than me,
And that’s a lie,
I’m better than me,
And that’s a fact,

Come walk with me,
Up the wall,
Everybody’s doing it,
We could be anyone,
Masters & slaves of the road

(K)

WALK IN WARDROBE:

Your Dad’s a good man,
He had my back,
When there was no back to be had,
Saw me through times,
When time ran out,
Was there,
When all the bridges were burning,
Go easy on him

(K)