at the flea market
hangover, dead-dog style, I sat, had a bacon butty and tea
watching someone buy some beautiful yellow flowers.
it almost made me cry.
later I saw a young girl with no arms
sit on the table
like an angry bored sculpture, cross-legged
behind a stall, selling nothing in particular
not in the pursuit of money,
just as a way of passing time.
I really wanted to take her photograph,
but people would get the wrong idea.
she had her arms inside her brightly-coloured anorak
and her glum ‘I'm so bored’ expression
was a sight to witness.
death shop chat
went to shop for death today, asked what they had.
well...we are offering a special today
blink and you'll miss it death
it's half price, but be quick or you’ll miss it.
we have all the old favs, death by poison, sin, sinful death,
that's suicide, which is on the cheap side.
short and sweet, sweet and sour death,
but you’ll have to be drunk in a takeaway for that one.
death in a breeze, bad wind or whilst breaking wind.
death surrounded by loved ones,
that can be pricey as we might need actors.
death from a great height, small height or no height at all.
death by socks, evil plastic bags, coat hangers, oranges
or blue chairs coming at you, in a panic haze.
death in hospital, but that can be pretty lonely,
and they don’t bother to feed you if you are very old.
heart attack death, that's if you like surprises.
cancer death, but it can be nasty, long, drawn out.
death with the one you lurve for romantic Smiths fans!
death while singing hymns during a confessional.
death in a car or on a bicycle or while reading a poem out loud,
but it costs extra as we have to supply a half decent poem.
death while taking in Bukowski, Monty Python, Magnus Mills, Nirvana, Joy Division, Tindersticks or the Sex Pistols and Doestovsky.
death whilst doing the washing up or watching noel edmunds,
that can be bloody nasty.
death whilst talking to a friend on the phone about what death means.
death on the toilet, reading a book about how death does not exist.
death whilst in the bath, if you would like a clean death.
death whilst dreaming of death, that's a favorite.
death whilst drunk or sober, but you will probably wish you had been drunk if you had been sober.
death with a dog or cat or with a cat and dog or when it’s raining them, but that's double.
death after you look at people and their own sad lonliness,
like character’s in a McCullers novel.
death when there is a faint birdy mist,
and you can hear and see them twittering.
funny happy death, which is more expensive, takes lot’s of training.
death in war, cheapest we offer, you can even get two for one.
death due to malnutrition, but you would have to move to third world or be in poverty.
when younger, all I thought off was really doing it every day.
I told him I'd have a good think about it, just didn't think i was quite ready for it yet.
he suggested I started saving up for it, get some
once in a lifetime training in for
our death final ending shindig that goes on forever
and a day.
big B flat minor talk
bird with crest, perched on tall grass beside
zephyr-swept clean reservoir, undulating.
sang a little and darted into undergrowth.
looking for something, anything
to make it tick, like you do.
Its reed mate came by, crest-less, as small as a
B flat minor
looking for its partner. pointed to where she should go.
B flat minor didn't take a jot of notice,
looking at me like I was insane.
must have understood humans want to destroy things of beauty
hardly ever see, wanting only to attain things, like we owned them,
god and everything, even B flat minor.
as though we never hit the exit sign lit up in smokey neon red
we were born to enter mostly half alive, dead.
had a chat with B flat, squeezing lips together
so they quivered, vibrated, replying to her twitterings.
every time she made two, I made two, and so on. we seemed to get along fine
even though I could not sing as well as she could.
tiptoed, on top of strong silent type, grass, shivering its nakedness in the snake breeze.
most intelligent conversation ever had. or will have.
B flat knew just about everything there was to know, secrets we had forgotten!
as smacked lips together, squeezing out chit chat, a couple appeared
looking at me as if I had escaped from somewhere they hide the keys from you.
B flat pretended she didn't know me, the creep
disappeared, without so much as a thank you to find her partner,
and I had no one to talk to, again.
but the zephyr's breath felt fine and good,
and I had some left,
even inside the inside.
black lace
we sat opposite each other
do you believe in god she says
well there must be one
but only shows himself when drunk
and at end of tether like most of the time
and has a sense of humour and pain
how long have you been afflicted she says
hell , I don't know I say, it's always happening to me
like something stuck in the head
that needs to come out
do you think you can be cured
she says
well hell yes, there must be some way I say
but you always seem to drink
when the affliction hits she says
yes I say
the drink seems to help it come out
like a waterfall in the spring
sided by stiff moss
but soft to touch like a woman’s skin
smelling like a brand new sepia sandlewood
newspaper you have not read
but know already what it says inside
ok ok she says I get the picture
do phrases come to you upon sleeping
she says
yeh that's the worst time
I say
do you ever get images
in your mind she says
yeh ,all the time I say
is it to do with authority she says
hell, everything’s to do with authority I say
you don't like authority she says
hell , I just ignore authority I say
how did you feel as a kid she says
little , I say
do you think your affliction comes from pain
she says
yeh drunk pain, love pain, grief pain
maybe they’re the same pain I say
I mean we are the only animal that knows
it will die
apart from elephants I say
has it to do with conforming she says
yeh conforming stinks I say
are you worried about love she says
hell yes I say love is suffering
love is pain
love is dreaming about the same
person every night
even though you have been apart
for 24 years
always dreaming the same type of dream
like she was dead and you want her back
but the dream keeps on saying the same thing
that no matter how much you dream
the love is a spent force
between the two of us
while also screaming
you miss her
like you will miss breathing
so the two of you were close she says
for eight years we were like Bonnie and Clyde
on a crime free love spree, inseparable
like fish and chips with
salt and vinegar I say
apart from when she
went over to Russia I say
so what happened she says
she wasn't happy with my affliction I say
so she realised she says
yeh, but it had not gone fully blown
by that time I say
fully blown she says
fully blown I say
so I let her go I say
you let her go she says
she used to wear these gloves
these black lacy gloves I say
black lacy gloves she says
yeh, I say
hangover, dead-dog style, I sat, had a bacon butty and tea
watching someone buy some beautiful yellow flowers.
it almost made me cry.
later I saw a young girl with no arms
sit on the table
like an angry bored sculpture, cross-legged
behind a stall, selling nothing in particular
not in the pursuit of money,
just as a way of passing time.
I really wanted to take her photograph,
but people would get the wrong idea.
she had her arms inside her brightly-coloured anorak
and her glum ‘I'm so bored’ expression
was a sight to witness.
death shop chat
went to shop for death today, asked what they had.
well...we are offering a special today
blink and you'll miss it death
it's half price, but be quick or you’ll miss it.
we have all the old favs, death by poison, sin, sinful death,
that's suicide, which is on the cheap side.
short and sweet, sweet and sour death,
but you’ll have to be drunk in a takeaway for that one.
death in a breeze, bad wind or whilst breaking wind.
death surrounded by loved ones,
that can be pricey as we might need actors.
death from a great height, small height or no height at all.
death by socks, evil plastic bags, coat hangers, oranges
or blue chairs coming at you, in a panic haze.
death in hospital, but that can be pretty lonely,
and they don’t bother to feed you if you are very old.
heart attack death, that's if you like surprises.
cancer death, but it can be nasty, long, drawn out.
death with the one you lurve for romantic Smiths fans!
death while singing hymns during a confessional.
death in a car or on a bicycle or while reading a poem out loud,
but it costs extra as we have to supply a half decent poem.
death while taking in Bukowski, Monty Python, Magnus Mills, Nirvana, Joy Division, Tindersticks or the Sex Pistols and Doestovsky.
death whilst doing the washing up or watching noel edmunds,
that can be bloody nasty.
death whilst talking to a friend on the phone about what death means.
death on the toilet, reading a book about how death does not exist.
death whilst in the bath, if you would like a clean death.
death whilst dreaming of death, that's a favorite.
death whilst drunk or sober, but you will probably wish you had been drunk if you had been sober.
death with a dog or cat or with a cat and dog or when it’s raining them, but that's double.
death after you look at people and their own sad lonliness,
like character’s in a McCullers novel.
death when there is a faint birdy mist,
and you can hear and see them twittering.
funny happy death, which is more expensive, takes lot’s of training.
death in war, cheapest we offer, you can even get two for one.
death due to malnutrition, but you would have to move to third world or be in poverty.
when younger, all I thought off was really doing it every day.
I told him I'd have a good think about it, just didn't think i was quite ready for it yet.
he suggested I started saving up for it, get some
once in a lifetime training in for
our death final ending shindig that goes on forever
and a day.
big B flat minor talk
bird with crest, perched on tall grass beside
zephyr-swept clean reservoir, undulating.
sang a little and darted into undergrowth.
looking for something, anything
to make it tick, like you do.
Its reed mate came by, crest-less, as small as a
B flat minor
looking for its partner. pointed to where she should go.
B flat minor didn't take a jot of notice,
looking at me like I was insane.
must have understood humans want to destroy things of beauty
hardly ever see, wanting only to attain things, like we owned them,
god and everything, even B flat minor.
as though we never hit the exit sign lit up in smokey neon red
we were born to enter mostly half alive, dead.
had a chat with B flat, squeezing lips together
so they quivered, vibrated, replying to her twitterings.
every time she made two, I made two, and so on. we seemed to get along fine
even though I could not sing as well as she could.
tiptoed, on top of strong silent type, grass, shivering its nakedness in the snake breeze.
most intelligent conversation ever had. or will have.
B flat knew just about everything there was to know, secrets we had forgotten!
as smacked lips together, squeezing out chit chat, a couple appeared
looking at me as if I had escaped from somewhere they hide the keys from you.
B flat pretended she didn't know me, the creep
disappeared, without so much as a thank you to find her partner,
and I had no one to talk to, again.
but the zephyr's breath felt fine and good,
and I had some left,
even inside the inside.
black lace
we sat opposite each other
do you believe in god she says
well there must be one
but only shows himself when drunk
and at end of tether like most of the time
and has a sense of humour and pain
how long have you been afflicted she says
hell , I don't know I say, it's always happening to me
like something stuck in the head
that needs to come out
do you think you can be cured
she says
well hell yes, there must be some way I say
but you always seem to drink
when the affliction hits she says
yes I say
the drink seems to help it come out
like a waterfall in the spring
sided by stiff moss
but soft to touch like a woman’s skin
smelling like a brand new sepia sandlewood
newspaper you have not read
but know already what it says inside
ok ok she says I get the picture
do phrases come to you upon sleeping
she says
yeh that's the worst time
I say
do you ever get images
in your mind she says
yeh ,all the time I say
is it to do with authority she says
hell, everything’s to do with authority I say
you don't like authority she says
hell , I just ignore authority I say
how did you feel as a kid she says
little , I say
do you think your affliction comes from pain
she says
yeh drunk pain, love pain, grief pain
maybe they’re the same pain I say
I mean we are the only animal that knows
it will die
apart from elephants I say
has it to do with conforming she says
yeh conforming stinks I say
are you worried about love she says
hell yes I say love is suffering
love is pain
love is dreaming about the same
person every night
even though you have been apart
for 24 years
always dreaming the same type of dream
like she was dead and you want her back
but the dream keeps on saying the same thing
that no matter how much you dream
the love is a spent force
between the two of us
while also screaming
you miss her
like you will miss breathing
so the two of you were close she says
for eight years we were like Bonnie and Clyde
on a crime free love spree, inseparable
like fish and chips with
salt and vinegar I say
apart from when she
went over to Russia I say
so what happened she says
she wasn't happy with my affliction I say
so she realised she says
yeh, but it had not gone fully blown
by that time I say
fully blown she says
fully blown I say
so I let her go I say
you let her go she says
she used to wear these gloves
these black lacy gloves I say
black lacy gloves she says
yeh, I say
