Hired Help

Tom was hired to cut the grass. A big man like a skittle, he did the penguin walk when his trousers crutch drooped to his knees. People laughed until they saw his look.

As Harry the grass was cut, he wished it was death he could see in Tom’s eyes.

The Prisoner

When the cell doors close, the hard man act falls away, first in the face that weeps tiredness and then in the body as it sags: the hard stomach bulges, the shoulders bend inwards and finally the fingers creak from a sleeping fist to a hand hungry for loving touches.

Check with the owner first

What made me spew my coffee wasn’t so much Mavis sitting down and whispering into my ear that she saw Angels. That I could live with. It was what a sixty year old woman way past her sell-by-date was doing with her right hand to my meat and two veg.

The first or last step in the novel

The boy stood at the Dancehall. It was in darkness, a sort of blessing as he was listening, not distracted by people.

In the dark the coyote howls. Yet with the wind it's like the dead wailing for a ghost highway.

He waits, the woman not he begins the adventure.

Hear the wind and taste the sky

I heard the lemon sunburst of Blackbirds singing.

I tasted the cream of winter sun so different from the coffee of summer.

I touched the coarse cotton of lamb cooking on a slow roast.

I smelt the butterscotch of her loving touch.

I saw thunder like a pebble in water.

The ruinous Railway

The speaker droned …‘the line will run through Box Hill by constructing the longest tunnel hitherto built in…’ but was interrupted when a tall bearded man stood up to shout, ‘poppycock sir, no man will endure the noise in the tunnel twice.’

Lord Young smiled, the canal claque was begun.

First love of 1970

Learning to lose at sweet sixteen
with “needs manual” on the money.
Oxford bags kill for disco queen:
green eyes and a laugh like honey.

Votes for teenagers lost in fog
of feelings grated as gunny.
Yes! She is my Love Story snog:
green eyes and a laugh like honey.

Naked flesh beyond book risqué
Which bit where? Why? Beyond funny.
Lost to rougher hands my chambray
green eyes and a laugh like honey.

Learning to lose at sweet sixteen
green eyes and a laugh like honey

Whose trick, whose treat?

 

Opening the door my hello is still born. Stunned my eyes follow the trail of shoes, bra’s, shirt, knickers through the hall to the living room where my son stands in that dress we got for his girlfriend.

Seeing my face, he laughs saying ‘chill out mum it’s for Halloween.‘

Senyru on meat and meet themes

Oh how the mighty have fallen

supermarket meat
once angus beef for bankers
now scrag-end and tripe

Making friends

on meeting strangers
americans yearly earnings
english the weather

Marsha goes to town

Legs like planed tree trunks, hugged by a dress wannabe belt and a low cut top grasping in pillow breasts. Marsha was a girl with confidence higher then a skunk on heat. Shaking things tight she took a walk into the room sending her hello in like a supersonic boom.

Castles in the Sand

The Aspen grove sheltered a pool. The red and gold autumn leaves reflected where the pool was open to the sky. No birds sang in that grove or air moved. Time slept. Only a hero could bring life and break the curse. Nerus, struggling in the pig-pen wasn’t that hero…yet.

All women are good

Being late saved her. Coming up the street, she saw the house explode into a rising scream of fire. Stopping would mean a bullet in her head or worse so she drove on only seeing video game scenery.

I was to be her way out only we didn’t know that.

Love me, Love me not

So you know about young people. They go to gigs, get drunk, and brag about dates Think again, I covered for a drunk mother from 11, lied for her, hid her bottles, cried myself asleep afraid if “they” found out. Forget about young love, meeting Joy only made it worse.

The saving of Vera Jones

On the gramophone Wildwood flower fades into crackle and hiss as the needle arm moves to the side, drops and repeats. By the window, near the sofa, Vera lies slumped face down as she has for several hours. She will die soon but not before her wish is finely granted.

The Devil’s Tune

Face to face with the boyfriend who fucked my head up, called me scatterbrain, clown face, lard arse and worse... much worse. I was screaming and he laughs from his balcony belly so I used the gun and fired.

Guess what, he was right. I miss…from a foot I miss.

Dream Daddy

As I fall asleep I wonder about my daddy’s eyes.

Downstairs the TV thuds and dinner plates clatter. Poohy cabbage smells again. My teddy hot-water bottle keeps me warm and safe from the Lion who eats cold feet.

Would they be like mine? Would he know me if we met?

Perchance to paint

To Do

To do walls red or blue which warms the sun,
and gives the room a glow on grey days.
Buy the tin, change the tin or what?
Back to the charts and new tin
so lid off, dip brush in
Oh no the phone.
Oh I know...
Hmm, not
sure

Only the Rich are Poor

Once upon a time the Banks needed billions to keep alive because of the wicked poor.

The bad men who ran banks were sent home with only millions for comfort while companies died of money starvation.

Too poor to be wicked, too good to be rich, who bails me out?

Pays to take put insurance

rethink.

The tyrant with the blood of cities on his hands was dying. His monks told him Bliss awaited. Content he closed his eyes only to hear chants of rethink.

All those he had betrayed surrounded him in a great circle.


Bliss would come when he found someone who loved him.

The world renewed

return to normal


Survivors of the nuclear war woke up from aeons of stasis.

Seeing the renewed world some thought of what they could own or eat. Eyeing naked bodies others thought yummy or gosh. Anger remained strong but some grew indifferent. One knew best.

The Devil smiled at the return to normal

Love in the air

parent’s breathing love
sky full of whispers dancing
for children to pop

whose balloons

children smile easy
balloons wriggle and jiggle
parents secret joy

He has been

The Visitor

Whenever they detected the ability of atom weapons a visitor was sent in genetic disguise to live as a local. The task was to assess if this world protected or damaged the environment. Protected, the visitor revealed the truth of the Pax, if not they were left alone to wither.

winter balloon

strawberry and cream
balloons dance over snow fields giggles chase after

party day

L



freckles on a child
balloons jostle and break free
as eyes look skyward

Be careful what you wish for

I wish

“I always wish upon a star”, hissed sissy snake to anyone that would listen.

Sadly, if you did listen then you were her dinner-never breakfast as she disliked mornings.

One day a star fall out of the sky and killed her.

Toad croaked, “I too always wish upon a star.”

Friends you don’t need

I won’t forget.

Cooperhouse
Beech Rd
Appdore

18th November

Dear Charles,

Thank you so much for your note to the committee members. Whatever you said certainly made a difference. Captain Jack could hardly contain himself and Flossie Lawrence just stared at me.

They voted to disqualify me for cheating.
I won’t forget.

James

Lost days

I forget

Ann burst into tears, and was comforted by her mother. Paul her brother, turned to Mark and said

“You were late and I picked you up for the Christening. It was snowing and you joked about missing a good skiing day. Are you listening? Mark say something?

I forget…I forget.