SIGNATURE REQUIRED:

I notice four empty chairs in the window, facing the street.
Two men huddled in a corner, discussing plans laid out on a table.
I notice a skinny woman in Picasso stripes, bug-eyed sunglasses
nesting in mousey hair, bad split ends, always looking down.
Two skinny moms hunched over a table, talking fast in plumby voices.
I notice a happy young dad in a faded yellow t-shirt, greeting
all the girls as he stoops to retrieve litter. They keep walking
as he grins.
I notice the woman perched like a crow on the edge of a seat,
meticulously fingering an electric tablet on her knees like a
perfumed gargoyle.
I notice the old blonde in leopard print, rubbing her palms
together as if in prayer.
I notice the gut on the old bloke younger than me in his t-shirt,
faded, tucked into the belt of his jeans.
I notice the old blonde leaving, how frail she walks, how elegant
she stands.
I notice the smile on the woman entering the room, swinging a
handbag like she’s just received the best news & wonder what she
looks like without her glasses?
I notice the crow woman wears golden pumps & a knitted poncho
in summer.
I notice the same girl I see every morning, older than her years.
The way she locks her hands together, carrying her bag like the
old women shoppers of my youth.
I notice a stack of cheap gold bangles rattling round her wrists.
Her pale powdered face looks like that famous actress in
Alice in Wonderland.
She says,
“Hello Babe!: when she greets other women.
She always talks about her boyfriend, but sits alone.
I notice the crow woman, joined by a woman with hair like
Joan of Arc, carrying a silver glitter shopping bag.
I notice a plump voiced stick woman enter the room, sunglasses
nesting in her mousey hair, a nervous smile, unsure what to do
with her arms. They remain stiff by her side as she walks like a
teenage boy.
I notice how fear in my stomach makes it hard to eat.
I notice the accent of the crow woman is Spanish or Italian.
She talks without taking breath, holding a half eaten slice of
white buttered toast in the air, between her talons. Actually,
it’s Italian.
I notice the room is mostly full of women.
I notice the one with what looks like a leech tattooed on her ankle.
I notice the forty-something couple, well groomed, both blonde,
both wearing matching denim shirts. He lifts a twenty from his
wallet, she plucks it from him, smiling, sunglasses nesting in
her air. He beams down at her like they’ve just had a hot night.
I notice the two men huddled over plans in the corner, one says,
“It doesn’t bother me!” in an East London accent.
I notice the well groomed blonde in the denim shirt sat alone in
the window, light glancing of the sunglasses nesting in her hair
as she looks up & down the street, waiting for her man.
And here he comes!
Tom Petty sings ‘Free-falling’ as the underscore.

(K)

TRY AGAIN:

(                         ) Your name here

(K)

CROSSING AT JAYWICK:

I remember sky
I remember blue
I remember birds
I remember song
I remember rain soaked roofs, morning dew, sunrise
I remember a ghost cat at the back door, craving affection
I remember that feeling of alone
I remember that isolation
I remember nothing like that
I remember the key drawer & the last car key
I remember driving to the station
I remember forgetting
I remember feeling dumb
I remember feeling less-than
I remember none of these things, distracted by a big-eyed kitten,
weaving between my feet as I walk, making me laugh
I remember laughing, the feel & the chemical release
I remember running, standing still, nurtured by silence
I remember feeling the planet turning
I remember the conversation, collaboration, communication
I remember the sensation of words forming in the mouth
I remember searching for connections
I remember building bridges after burning them down, doors opening
I remember the first kind word & the last
I remember opening windows to let the night air out, clean air in
I remember radio days behind the wheel of a car, no specific
destination, catching randoms in the frequencies that held me in my
fall
I remember jumping, but not hitting the ground
I remember no sound, not silence
I remember being here before
I remember leaving
I remember thinking I’d never be here again, but here I am
I remember everything & nothing, (probably wasn’t what you imagined
when you asked me to start with ‘I remember’)
I remember this song that’s playing in this cafe right now, the one
I’m sat in the back of with the loners, the tablet tappers & newspaper
readers
I remember none of these faces sat around me, none come here in the
week, except the old loner down the back who’s here every morning,
chipper as a coiled spring, hungry for a little bit of conversation,
greyed out, with a voice of gentle desperation.
I remember none of these things.

(K)

PILOT:

Sweet life, everything random, different to the plan in my head.
Living in the present, future tense. Lay back, flick it, fix it,
peace for free in the rain.

I win, you win, costs nothing. Cash total, Feedback the listener,
listening. Take this receipt, you get points for loyalty, a number
recognised when you get lost in crowds. Sweet, rich, the milk of
human kindness found abandoned on an invisible street, no VAT,
no referee, Love & only love.

(K)

WHEN TWO OR MORE ARE GATHERED:

We were meant to be dancing & laughing, not alone in the dark.
Waiting, waiting, pick up the phone, call me 625 lines. You’re
a pixel, you’re a pistol, do you want something, ’cause I’m
ordering, free? Bang! Serious walks in, cocky, this way up,
chocolate on top. Daisy night-shower, illuminates the night,
radio rider, monumental smile, world-wide delivery. Never stop.

(K)

HEY DRIFTER:

Hey drifter, there’s no one here. What you looking for, hungry?
Searching, rattling keys, waiting in line, hoping Kansas is just
around the corner. This is for you, a gift, a glance, a kiss on
the front page of the daily news.

(K)

HELLO GORGEOUS:

These feet have a mind of their own.
These eyes are watching.
This mouth says nothing.
This hand hides in a pocket.
This nose wears a ring.
This face is a moon.
This truck talks to it’s self when it moves.
These breaks stop the violence.
This cartoon horse sees everything.
This voice calls out,

“Hello gorgeous!”

(K)

THE JOYS:

Who’s that sugar? – Sweet thing, waiting.
Who’s that animal? – Cartoon creature.
Make you laugh when you’re low, keep you up when you’re high.
Put your favourite record on, help you laugh in the face of
mirrors. Who will let you know when you got too much or
not enough? When you come into fashion & fall out.
Who will let you please yourself, dig your own hole & help you
climb back out?

(K)

NAME:

A name called loud & long into the rising sun. A recycled bag swung
in a hand going somewhere great. A white cross hanging in a fast car.

Who’s that in the photograph, every face turned to camera in
black & white, wide-eyed, back in a time when everything was amazing?

Well, hello! I see New York on your back. You don’t look the type
to carry that casually, don’t worry, we’re all mad here.

Get your camera out, a memory is coming, so cute, so gorgeous,
you’ll want it when you see it. Roll your eyes, it’s a recipe,
taster, try it, push it ’round the plate. You’re gonna love it,
here it comes.

MASSICOT “internet”

(K)

TIN MAN:

Mr Blow on the Ghost Train in loving memory. Everybody rolling,
slow motion spiders fall out of trees. The music of black top
sings to rubber rings. Flags flutter in a cool breeze, cast long
shadows, wave goodbye to summer. Discarded left-overs, last nights
bones exposed at the fun fair. Here he comes in cowboy hat & shades.
Leans back, one hand on the wheel, mobility scooter, one on the leash
of a tiny white dog scratching cold dirt, mobility scooter.
Tomorrow & all it’s fears are a pack of thieves. Phone a friend.

(K)