LOVE IN A PAPER CUP:

Photographs of hands singing, not talking. Morning drifters,
fists concealed in pockets. Famous faces left in beds.
Trains caught, messages sent, received, wallets opened.
Radiant faces with moving mouths, words, language, sound.
Sing-song greetings say the names of strangers, get random,
thank everyone.

Time comes to an end, was it good for you? Was it fast, free,
Beautiful? Did it hold your hand in fur boots, sit behind glass
watching the world? Did it walk in slow & leave running?
Did it splash the cash, looking around to check who was watching?
Did it start every day with good news, ink on it’s fingers,
punctuating history with headlines.

(K)

TIME TRAVELER:

I’m writing this to yesterday, now it’s today, you’re future.
To you, I realise this is today, though in fact it’s yesterday & I
am in tomorrow. This may come as a shock to you (I’m sorry) & had I
not forgotten to post it to you yesterday this message would have
reached you today, a dilemma no doubt born out of my forgetfulness.
What you read here are words sent back from the future, a time
when the place you are living in is ‘yesterday. I am clearly living
in ‘today’, your future, a place I can tell you nothing about in case
you use the information to change stuff. As this could have terrible
consequences I’ll limit descriptions of the future to confirming it’s
existence. Today’s diary entry comes back in time to you wrapped in
an apology for not sending it when I should have (before midnight),
when it was still called ‘today’, the time you mistakenly believe
to be the present. Now I’m writing to you from the actual ‘today’
(a place you will one day be) & this yesterday place is where you
are reading my message. So, it is with absolute certainty that I
have to inform you that you are either living in the past or have
travelled back in time. Either fact is fantastic.

(K)

AT THE END OF A YEAR:

Sing the names of strangers,
Memories,
Get random,
Thank everyone,
Time comes to an end,

Was it good for you?
Was it beautiful?
Did it hold your hand in fur boots?
Did it sit behind glass watching the world?
Did it walk in slow & cautious?
Did it splash the cash?
Did it turn around to see who’s watching?
Pockets full of good news,
Leave ink on your fingers,
A mouth full of history & headlines.

(K)

FREE WITH MILK & FAVOURS:

She wanted to put her outfit on,
A subtle hint,
Sent home to fetch it,
Under duress,
Under her dress

Sit down,
Stand up,
Catch everything that’s going,
The season of the dog & chicken,
Run around,

You,
In my face,
Making lovely rackets,
You,
So blingy,
Open your present,
It’s nothing rude,
You could put in on your head & walk around,
You’ll love it,
Everyone will love you.

(K)

FASCINATED WITH THE FACE, HELLO!:

I can’t do everything,
Two things,
Anything,
When I’m already doing something,

I know,
Call me useless,
Normal,
Irritator,
Talks too much,

Take your coat off,
Sit down,
Give it a go,
What’s the worst that can happen?

(K)

YOU’RE WELCOME, ENJOY:

All over the world,
People making news,

Communicators,
Survivors,

Some make the headlines,
Some read them,

Fast,
Hard,
Branded,

Passion,
Connection,
Care,

Buses,
Park up,
Waiting,

A new face walks in,
Oooh she likes that one,
Hear the smile in her voice,
The light in her step,

How long you been here?
Where you from?
Your English is very good,
Yes,

Yes,
I caught it off the boyfriend,
Been with him since I landed,
Four years, Four months, Four days,

Hit me with your best shot,
Rocking,
Nodding like old man donkey,
Watching time at a table for one,

The pinstripes invade,
Reel off orders, leave,
Glitter eyelids glance,
Across the tops of coffee grinders,

Small mouth, hard eyes,
Can’t disguise the protection,
You’re welcome,
Enjoy,

(K)

SMILING SKINNY SUIT:

First phase,
Morning,
Bell rings,
8am,
What’s with the hair?

Complicated buffet,
Why make it so difficult so soon?
Keep it simple,

Gun-toting cityscape,
Lights on,
Ultramarine to Baby Blue,
The world awake,
Before the sun,

Hello,
Good morning,
Bonjour.

(K)

GUNS AS BIG AS MEN:

Look at me & I’ll punch you in the face,
Anyone who responds to me gets it!

Missed my station,
Got off at Euston,
Switched lines back to Kings Cross,
Got off,
Dazed,
Following signs to St Pancras International,
Full of hope & anticipation,
Following the crowd,
An earworm in my head,
I turn a corner,
In an underground tunnel,
This geezer,
In hood & wires,
Is facing off women,
As they pass,
(only women mind you)
Saying,

“Look at me & I’ll punch you in the face,
Anyone who responds to me gets it!”

Somebody got out the wrong side of the bed,
Somebody just had their whole day inverted,
Somebody feels a rage,
Somebody feels fear,
Threatened,
Insecure,
Wonders when’s the next attack?
From whom?
And what direction?
How close?
How lethal?
How long?

Stepped off the train in Brussels,
To see guns as big as men.

(K)

BRANDED:

Loosing sleep,
Lay down,
Overworked,
Try to sleep,
Yeah,
Night nurse,
Knock you out,
So good,
Yeah,
Hello,
Grand desire,
Chocolate on top.

Koji Kakinuma brings in the light

(K)

LOOSING COUNT:

Chocolate Fingers,
Custard Creams,
Did you hear the rain last night?,

Utopia with a fist,
the wreckage & the road between us,

We get around,
We get around,
We come a long way no secrets,

You & me,
stand out in the rain,
Remembering,

The bitter words,
The broken glass & razor wire,

Set me to Zero,
Set me to Zero in the rain,

Gentle,
Rhythms,
Sky falls on us,

The hiss of cars,
No stars,
No runaway romance,

You’re sleeping upstairs,
Behind the flicker of your eyes,
Do you remember your dreams?

How did we end up like this?,
Now I’m laughing in rain,
We were just too busy,
To do anything,
But keep moving.

Listening to Nigerian Funk again

(K)