SHRINE SISTER:

Chicago,
I remember you,
Freezing,
Thinking I was actually going to die,
As I crossed the road from the theatre to Tower Records,
The cold so surgical it was in my bones before I reached half-way,
Standing in the middle of the road,
Waiting for a gap,
Muscles stiffening,
Heart slowing,
Alone,
No phone,
Thinking,
Wow!
Well,
What d’you know?

(Listening to: Ornette Coleman – ‘The Shape Of Jazz To Come’)

(K)

ARIEL:

A picture of an empty beach,
White sand,
Palm trees,
You know the thing,
Blue sky,
Blue sea,
No one around,
Sold as paradise,

A picture of a hole,
Yellow light,
Warm,
Inviting,

A picture of a room,
Lit by candle light,
The Pink light of a setting sun,

A view of an ocean full of icebergs,
Blue-on-Blue,
No one around,
Paradise at a knock-down price,

A picture of a mountain,
Covered in Jungle,
A cacophony of exotic birdsong,
Still no body here,
This paradise thing is starting to ware,

Where I live,
They got people,
I need people,
People is luxury

(Listening to Amon Düül II – ‘Halluzination Guillotine’)

(K)

SHELTER:

It’s a busy time for thieves,
You make a call,
Look around,
Keep your hands on your valuables,
Know your limits,

I’m here but I don’t want to be,
At least,
I don’t think I do,
Walking on chewing gum,
Dodging rain,

I want to write,
But I don’t,
I’m exhausted writing,
I love it,
Conflicted,
Guilty

(listening to Yusef Lateef-‘Semiocto’)

(K)

JUG & BOTTLE:

Fold our clothes when we take them off,
Close our eyes on trains,
Smile like we’re dreaming a good one,
Put a ribbon round it,
Too tired to do anything,
Sleeping in public

(Listening to Ornette Coleman – ‘At Town Hall 1962’)

(K)

RANDOM MARKS:

Who are you?
We are strangers,
Travelling together,

Glance,
Get your mind off it!
Tiger-spot bag on your back,

It’s raining in the street,
We cross over where leather soles slip,
On saturated rubber,

It’s a bad hair day,
No looking cool either way,
Slip or swim,
Place your bets
Keep your knees in,

The gift of a blank canvas,
The gift of better hair,
The gift of being someone without a history,
Hello

(K)

TRAVELLING THROUGH A PENCIL DRAWN WORLD:

Reluctant to sleep,
The eyes want to close,
Here behind the wheel,
Things you want to do,
The person you want me to be,

It’s that time of year,
The giant wrinkle,
Accumulation of everything left undone,
Wish-list,
Still wishing,
Keep driving,

Now I jump on a train,
(don’t go jumping on trains!),
It’s got too many ears,
No good for talking,
Like those women who sat next to me,
All the way from Manchester,
Mouthing off about people I knew,
Without knowing who was sat next to them listening,

Someone should make a career,
Selling everything they overhear on trains,
They probably have a department for that already,
That’s why I’m talking quiet,
If you talk to me don’t mention names

(K)

TWO SECURITY GUARDS:

The art of conversations smiles in circles,
Hands between the knees,
Waits it’s turn,
Hands clasped on tables,
Benign,
Sleeves rolled up,
Relaxing,
Consciously stealing time,
Smiles,
Exchanges,
Glances,
Lets go of serious,
Eyes watching mouths,
Uninterrupted,
Lean towards each other,
Closer,

Someone says the name of the place I was born,
Well,
Near enough to make me laugh out loud

(K)

BLURRED:

The vodka bottle’s gone by the time I leave,
Cleared away by invisible hands,
Hands that no one thanks,
Thanks taken for granted,
Granted immunity,
Super hero cloak of invisibility,
In a bitter wind,
Knuckles turned Blue,
Who you call when you’ve run out of answers,
Saying goodbye to your crown

(K)

IT’S FREEZING:

An empty vodka bottle stands abandoned & erect on the pavement,
Wondering what went wrong,
Blinking,

Someone staggers from a car park,
With a box full of random bits,
Lifted from the back of an off-road Porsche,

Looks around,
Sees me,
Staggers on,

They’re queue at all the peaceful places,
Sneezing in corners,
Too much talking,
Seasonal music,
Double-decker pushchairs,
Loud greeting,

They’ve fazed out my daily bread,
Replaced it with a microwaved thing,
Ping!

Everything reduced to gloop,
All the milk is coconut,
Where have all the cows gone?

But the boarder is soft this morning,
The mouths have been up all night talking,
Offering a gift,
To soften the blow of separation

(K)

TRANSFORMER:

North to South,
Sunlight changes everything,
The weatherman’s warning,
But we got the sun,
We pay our taxes,
What’s the weather report?
Where are you?
I heard it on the news,
But you can’t believe the news if you want to live happy,
What’s the weather like where you are?
What’s happening?

(K)