HERE COMES THE WINDOW CLEANER:

Good mornin’,
Good mornin’,
You’re in early,
Had a rough night?

Went down the O2,
It’s like a cinema,
I was up & down like a yo-yo,
I went & stood in the bar,
Watched from the corner,
Everybody kept asking me to move,
But I said,
“Sorry mate, you wouldn’t want me sittin’ next to you with all this
drink in me. I’d be up & down like a yo-yo!”
So I stood at the bar,
On the corner,
Watching,

Six quid a pint!
I done a ton!
I reckon they’re all on something mate,

If you think about it,
In two weeks time,
It’ll all be over,
Christmas,
It’ll all be over,

It’s actually been one’ve them years this year,
It’s all been stag dos & piss-ups,
My life revolves around stag dos & piss-ups,

See ya later mate,
It’ll all be over in two weeks.

Listening to Nigeria Special

(K)

PICCADILLY LINE:

The Ratman grins, catching my elbow as I weave along the platform,
looks me in the eye like I know him. Starts a conversation about the
weather, toes in perfection against the yellow line, impish. For a
second I think I recognise a rearranged face whose lips part,
revealing unfamiliar teeth. They dance a rhythm that makes me recoil,
walk away, glancing back, to make sure I’m not being followed, scared.

The Ratwoman stops me at the other end of the platform, dressed in
chamois leather yellow, off the shoulder, two-piece smiles. Wind blows
up the line carrying her perfume, not good, not bad, reminds me of a
building I used to know.

A crowd waits for something to happen. Another slow train.
Another long cold night on the rails.

Listening to Sir Shina Peters & his International Stars

(K)

BIG NIGHT OUT:

Slow train,
Old Train,
Cold train,
Dirty train,
Catch a new train,
Clean train,
Warm train,
Destination airport,
Best face reserved for tourists,

I wanna catch it,
Yeah,
But we’ll have to get off half way,
And it’s cold,
Let’s catch the Dirty one,
Naa,
Let’s leave town now,
Leave this crowd of drunks,
I don’t wanna catch that knackered old train tonight,
Why not?,
It’s only eight minutes behind the clean one,
Yeah,
But the dirty train is depressing,
Don’t be so negative,
I’m not,
I was being positive,
About a different train.

Listening to E-Man Groovin‘

(K)

TOO MUCH SPACE IN THE CITY. WHAT’S WRONG?:

Sleeping Beauty’s riding trains,
In a necklace of fake diamonds,
Concealing her appeal in an old jumper,
The colour of pale Summer,
Nobody looks,

Messages are written,
On Pink paper
In Biro,
By girls who press their faces into corners,
Hold their heads in hands,
Shaking,
Whispering names,
Incantations,
Singing alone in crowds,
With low voices,
Like voodoo queens,

Singing in Russian,
Writing in English,
Pressing up against windows,
For something flat & hard,

Men glance,
Through stubbled faces,
Distracted,
Play,
Electric games,
With nimble thumbs,
Busy-busy,
On-the-go,
Numbing the pain,

“Never, never, never been”
Says a chocolate voice,
Obscured by a crowd,
Too many mouths,
Breathing too little air,

White wires,
Black wires,
Red & Black wires,
Everybody breathing each other’s breath,
Intimately pressed,
Against each other’s body,

Morning soap,
Warm perfume,
Tiny clicks of rhythms,
Buried in ears,
Curves,
Too close for comfort,
Evoking memories,

Squeeze in
Squeeze out,
Rip the headphones off a stranger,
Rushing to get somewhere,
Deadline,
Lifeline,
Do your make-up on trains,
Swathed in fake diamonds,
Eye-liner perfect,

The Piccadilly Line is a dog,
I’m going back to the Victoria Line,
She loves me better.

(K)

TRAINING:

Today,

Doors dance automatic,
In the belly of a train,

All heads down,
Tapping,
Reading,

No one sees it,
The machine animal,
Slide silently open,
Pause then close,

A kiss,
Of rubber lips,
The delicate lustre,
Of metal skin,
Silent comedy for the serious.

(K)

FAIRY TRAIL:

Strokes the nose,
Strokes the lips,
Strokes the face,
Wrapped in Black,
Wool & wires for the season,

Sleeping Beauty is a cartoon cover,
Of a give-away magazine,

Prince Charming wears a suit,
A crumpled shirt,
A fat silver wrist watch & stubble,
Hair greased back,
Ponytail,

Reads paperbacks,
With Yellowed pages,

Sleeping Beauty is a cartoon cover,
Of a give-away magazine,

Little Red Riding Hood,
Is a healthcare assistant,
A security pass,
Slung around her neck,
On a Blue ribbon,

Makes a loose fist,
Plugs her ear with portable sound,

Reads paperbacks,
With Yellowed pages,

Sleeping Beauty is a cartoon cover,
Of a give-away magazine,

The Wicked Witch wears Lycra,
An expression of intent,
Clutching something hot,
In a paper cup,
Raised up like a beacon of Liberty,

Reads only bad news,
In the mourning papers,

Makes a loose fist,
Plugs her ear with portable sound,

Reads paperbacks,
With Yellowed pages,

Sleeping Beauty is a cartoon cover,
Of a give-away magazine,

(K)

SLIPS BETWEEN DREAMERS:

A woman dressed as an Elf wanders alone through underground tunnels,
emanating violent transmissions from a walkie talkie strapped to her
belt. A crowd walks with her, neither acknowledging her trail of
noise nor the fact she’s dressed as an Elf. They walk in silence,
somnambulists, staring into futures, smelling of perfumed dust.
Then, this girl appears with bells on, a drifter, hands clasped
in wonder, never looking down, no one sees or hears her but me.

(K)

DON’T LOOK DOWN:

Black pointy leather toe bliss,
Soft slip-on bliss,
Day-glow green lace bliss,
Brown beaten bliss,
Immaculate White bliss,
Little Pink bliss,
Black patent toe bliss,
Little Black bow bliss,
Suede bliss up to the knee,
Doctor bliss with easy rider sole,
Biscuit slip-on bliss,
Wild Yellow micro-mesh bliss from the future,
Blue lace bliss,
Shabby Blue bliss scuffed to bits,
Pointy lived-in Black leather bliss,
Patent Black Ugg bliss,
Ragged Black bliss,
Immaculate Red lace bliss,
Shiny Black boredom bliss,
Doctor bliss with the easy rider sole,
White tennis bliss,
Stack-heeled banged-up bliss,
Sequinned Black Ugg bliss,
Black leather buckle-strap bliss,
Brogue bliss,
Cartoon gingham bliss,
Basic Ugg bliss,
Miniature pirate bliss,
Beat-up working bliss,
Boring Black bliss,
Oily neither leather nor suede bliss in Brown,
Dirty pointy broguish bliss,
Square-tipped bliss,
Stylish skinny Brown lace bliss,
Dirty science fiction bliss from the future.

(K)

NOT BLACK:

You look sad, standing there in a new coat, wires in your ears,
holding on, shadows beneath the eyes. Too young, I thought at
first, to be so melancholy. Then you let go, left without
saying anything. No flicker, no light, no change of expression.
I hope you went somewhere great, to meet some one who made you
laugh & laugh all night. Strange, that you were the only one not
wearing Black.

(K)

THE SOFTWARE IS OUT TO GET ME:

Ring road,
Ring road,
Hertford,
Dalston,
Hackney,

Ring Road,
The City,
West End,
Holborn,

One way,
Arrow,
Carwash,
American,
Open,

Days a week,
Maximum height,
Cashless parking,
55,

Hand wash & vacuum,
Jar full of sparkles,
Brutalist edifice
With a toothless grin,
Working for a cleaner borough,

Flashing,
Vaping,
Crazy face at the window,
Dressed as a playing card,

I am,
I am,
Very very difficult,
You’re a soft spot,
A black van with tinted windows,

The Jackson Five is playing,
To a girl with a fake diamond bracelet,
Exchanging numbers,
With a grinning boy.

(K)