James continued
Desiree’s father had denied
Any suggestion of impropriety
He categorically stated
That their family had been completely cleared
Of anything other than parental fondling
Even after the unfortunate episode with his wife
But the Dean was even more resolute
Behind his staff to the hilt
Frankly he was amazed
That Tom Smithson
Was letting his daughter
Write such pervasive muck
The Dean wanted Desiree to leave
Her father threatened to withdraw his funds
A peacemaker was needed
Joe had a quiet, unheard, sigh of relief...
Most days I would try to write a poem; it is a practice, as I suppose is meditation, or smiling, or watching the world go by
Monday, 31 December 2018
Sunday, 30 December 2018
Intrusions
Joe heard the knock on the door
It was unusual for anyone to call at this time
He opened the door with a little apprehension
Surely no one knew yet of his planned surveillance
Desiree and James stood there together
Under the glare of the sodium streetlight
The tension was obvious
Briskly Joe brought them inside
Are you with us Joe
Asked James
Are you ready for some action
Joe looked towards Desiree
He saw that same sparkle in her eyes...
It was unusual for anyone to call at this time
He opened the door with a little apprehension
Surely no one knew yet of his planned surveillance
Desiree and James stood there together
Under the glare of the sodium streetlight
The tension was obvious
Briskly Joe brought them inside
Are you with us Joe
Asked James
Are you ready for some action
Joe looked towards Desiree
He saw that same sparkle in her eyes...
To read the rest of this page, or indeed the whole thing, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here
Saturday, 29 December 2018
Renovate
Joe stood by the simple door
A door made
From thin planks
Of cheap softwood
Planks laid in line
Then braced
With two diagonal planks
Finished off, with a lime white stain
This door
With a single finger hole
To a lift up latch
Was the entrance to the cold stone steps
Steps that led down from the old parlour
To the cold, cold cellar below...
A door made
From thin planks
Of cheap softwood
Planks laid in line
Then braced
With two diagonal planks
Finished off, with a lime white stain
This door
With a single finger hole
To a lift up latch
Was the entrance to the cold stone steps
Steps that led down from the old parlour
To the cold, cold cellar below...
To read the rest of this page, or indeed the whole thing, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here
Friday, 28 December 2018
Observation
The village boys had played in the old cotton mill
They had swum in its dams
Climbed on the derelict machinery
Even when the developers moved in
They could not keep these crafty kids
Outside of their security fences
Joe knew
That the guy who had brought the University
To town, had created and lived in
This seriously upmarket development
The whole town had seen Tom Smithson’s
Presence grow; he was certainly no stranger
To publicity, or to the local media
For the first few days it was planned...
They had swum in its dams
Climbed on the derelict machinery
Even when the developers moved in
They could not keep these crafty kids
Outside of their security fences
Joe knew
That the guy who had brought the University
To town, had created and lived in
This seriously upmarket development
The whole town had seen Tom Smithson’s
Presence grow; he was certainly no stranger
To publicity, or to the local media
For the first few days it was planned...
To read the rest of this page, or indeed the whole thing, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here
Thursday, 27 December 2018
Against The Flow
The students were sat in the bar
Some wanted to go downtown
Joe wanted to find Desiree
James wanted to talk more about music
Academia was at one an amusement
Yet also a distraction
Joe could hold his own here
His quick wit more than compensation
For lack of certification
Or attendance at secondary school
But Joe had no depth of concentration
He sought instant gratification
He could still smell the musk of love
As he spoke out...
Some wanted to go downtown
Joe wanted to find Desiree
James wanted to talk more about music
Academia was at one an amusement
Yet also a distraction
Joe could hold his own here
His quick wit more than compensation
For lack of certification
Or attendance at secondary school
But Joe had no depth of concentration
He sought instant gratification
He could still smell the musk of love
As he spoke out...
To read the rest of this page, or indeed the whole thing, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here
Wednesday, 26 December 2018
Questions
The young student was impetuous and eager
Did you ask him how he wrote the lyrics
Did you ask him where he first played
Did you ask him where does he think
He is going to go next with his music
Questions rattled off
At such a pace which suggested
That there was little time to wait for answers
But Joe fielded the questions
Studiously, thoughtfully, steadily
Here in the calm of the coffee house
He could not use the one word answers
Which he had shouted out in the pub
Over the blare of the Juke Box
Anyway James was a more serious student
He had been quiet
On the night they first met...
Did you ask him how he wrote the lyrics
Did you ask him where he first played
Did you ask him where does he think
He is going to go next with his music
Questions rattled off
At such a pace which suggested
That there was little time to wait for answers
But Joe fielded the questions
Studiously, thoughtfully, steadily
Here in the calm of the coffee house
He could not use the one word answers
Which he had shouted out in the pub
Over the blare of the Juke Box
Anyway James was a more serious student
He had been quiet
On the night they first met...
To read the rest of this page, or indeed the whole thing, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here
Tuesday, 25 December 2018
Family
Tom’s daughter Desiree was the love of his life
She had hung on when his wife could not
He would have given his all, or so he said
For the relationships between the three of them
To have been somewhat different
Tom had made his money in microfiche
He had been in at the beginning
Of the electronic archive revolution
Now he held the licence, for the world’s foremost
Document storage and recovery software
It was produced on all continents
Sold by internet, shipped worldwide overnight
He was a very wealthy self-made man
Desiree was the love of his life
But she was also the trouble of his life...
She had hung on when his wife could not
He would have given his all, or so he said
For the relationships between the three of them
To have been somewhat different
Tom had made his money in microfiche
He had been in at the beginning
Of the electronic archive revolution
Now he held the licence, for the world’s foremost
Document storage and recovery software
It was produced on all continents
Sold by internet, shipped worldwide overnight
He was a very wealthy self-made man
Desiree was the love of his life
But she was also the trouble of his life...
To read the rest of this page, or indeed the whole thing, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here
Monday, 24 December 2018
Stonework
Down the valley from the town
An old cotton mill provides
Modern, tastefully developed
Executive accommodation
As the advertisements claim:
Village life accommodation, with a nearby wealthy
Town community; electric gates, double garages
With elevators to totally safe environments
The mill, a century earlier
Had been a place of graft, of industry
Driven by water wheels
The buildings had teemed over with factory workers
Many who were no more than children
Weaving, spinning, combing, finishing...
An old cotton mill provides
Modern, tastefully developed
Executive accommodation
As the advertisements claim:
Village life accommodation, with a nearby wealthy
Town community; electric gates, double garages
With elevators to totally safe environments
The mill, a century earlier
Had been a place of graft, of industry
Driven by water wheels
The buildings had teemed over with factory workers
Many who were no more than children
Weaving, spinning, combing, finishing...
To read the rest of this page, or indeed the whole thing, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here
Sunday, 23 December 2018
Manifesto Is It
Eventually Joe opened the folder
He had wondered, at first
Whether this was like reading
Someone else’s letter
Which he considered he would not do
No, that would be a private intrusion
But a folder he thought of as something
For the whole world to see
Even so, he did not feel comfortable
Yet he still began to read:
He had wondered, at first
Whether this was like reading
Someone else’s letter
Which he considered he would not do
No, that would be a private intrusion
But a folder he thought of as something
For the whole world to see
Even so, he did not feel comfortable
Yet he still began to read:
Neo non-intellect
It is not
That I do not want them to have a voice...
To read the rest of this page, or indeed the whole thing, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here
Saturday, 22 December 2018
Disturbed, Deluded
What happened at Weatherspoon’s then
He could hear his old friends say
But what would they say now
To see him in the sociology block
Of the university
Off limits Joe lad
Way off limits
They would for sure
Echo his mother’s warning
At this thought, he panicked
If he disturbed her would he lose her
If she thought he was prying on her
Would she cast him off
If he did not measure up would she
Discard him for a more educated type
Without any further delusions...
He could hear his old friends say
But what would they say now
To see him in the sociology block
Of the university
Off limits Joe lad
Way off limits
They would for sure
Echo his mother’s warning
At this thought, he panicked
If he disturbed her would he lose her
If she thought he was prying on her
Would she cast him off
If he did not measure up would she
Discard him for a more educated type
Without any further delusions...
To read the rest of this page, or indeed the whole thing, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here
Friday, 21 December 2018
Learning Places
The universities had become apolitical
A mirror of the apolitical society
Into which they were being moulded
To meet the master plan
They had needed to build very quickly
The focus then, on concrete, on facility
Not on theory or faculty
The new teacher’s contracts took
The lecturers pay below the minimum wage
That is if they were at all to engage
In the recommended, expected...
A mirror of the apolitical society
Into which they were being moulded
To meet the master plan
They had needed to build very quickly
The focus then, on concrete, on facility
Not on theory or faculty
The new teacher’s contracts took
The lecturers pay below the minimum wage
That is if they were at all to engage
In the recommended, expected...
To read the rest of this page, or indeed the whole thing, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here
Thursday, 20 December 2018
Tied Ties
O Joe, what are you doing
Joe could imagine his mother’s voice
This girl is way outside your territory
You are well and truly hooked
Way over, way above your limitations
But Joe could still smell the musk of love
Enraptured, besotted
He was outside of that place
We call common sense
He was on the run
Caught full on
He could still see her eyes...
Joe could imagine his mother’s voice
This girl is way outside your territory
You are well and truly hooked
Way over, way above your limitations
But Joe could still smell the musk of love
Enraptured, besotted
He was outside of that place
We call common sense
He was on the run
Caught full on
He could still see her eyes...
To read the rest of this page, or indeed the whole thing, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here
Wednesday, 19 December 2018
Conviction
Who would believe him
More to the point
Would he want anyone
Or everyone to know
What would he now become
Who could tell him
Of this thing called love
Where could he go
Where would he go
To feel this way forever
This way where she had gone...
More to the point
Would he want anyone
Or everyone to know
What would he now become
Who could tell him
Of this thing called love
Where could he go
Where would he go
To feel this way forever
This way where she had gone...
To read the rest of this page, or indeed the whole thing, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here
Tuesday, 18 December 2018
She’s Leaving Home
Joe’s previous evening
Had been a stupendous
And tremulous occasion
Joe thought he was not the first
But that did not matter
For what Joe had learnt
In such a short
Yet delirious space of time
Would last him
For far more than this lifetime
She had left
Before the morning light
Without a sound
Without a goodbye
But she had left Joe her legacy
And on the coffee table
She had left something else
Joe did not notice...
Had been a stupendous
And tremulous occasion
Joe thought he was not the first
But that did not matter
For what Joe had learnt
In such a short
Yet delirious space of time
Would last him
For far more than this lifetime
She had left
Before the morning light
Without a sound
Without a goodbye
But she had left Joe her legacy
And on the coffee table
She had left something else
Joe did not notice...
To read the rest of this page, or indeed the whole thing, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here
Monday, 17 December 2018
Art It Is
Was it Rembrandt
Vermeer, or de Bray
Where the cloth always appeared
Softly folded, lapped as layers
Of skin-like fatty tissue
If it had been the surrealism of Dali
You would see the distorted shape
Take on another reality
But here, in Joe’s room
The clay pots hang with a purpose
Without of decoration, simply perforated
Perforated for the air to move
For the testicles to breathe
His emblem of the love...
Vermeer, or de Bray
Where the cloth always appeared
Softly folded, lapped as layers
Of skin-like fatty tissue
If it had been the surrealism of Dali
You would see the distorted shape
Take on another reality
But here, in Joe’s room
The clay pots hang with a purpose
Without of decoration, simply perforated
Perforated for the air to move
For the testicles to breathe
His emblem of the love...
To read the rest of this page, or indeed the whole thing, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here
Sunday, 16 December 2018
Girl
More importantly
Even now
Through the half-light of the dance floor
He could see her eyes sparkle
The girl from earlier
She was, or so it appeared
She was still alone
Was it true he wondered
Could she really
Could she truly not leave him alone
The lights went up
Now they were outside
In the warm night air...
Even now
Through the half-light of the dance floor
He could see her eyes sparkle
The girl from earlier
She was, or so it appeared
She was still alone
Was it true he wondered
Could she really
Could she truly not leave him alone
The lights went up
Now they were outside
In the warm night air...
To read the rest of this page, or indeed the whole thing, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here
Saturday, 15 December 2018
Not That Temperance Lot
Weatherspoon’s
As well as opening for breakfast
Also had a dancing area
A sop perhaps to obtain a longer licence;
One which goes from the early morning
Back into the early morning
Nevertheless
The dance area was a valuable attraction
A Venus flytrap of sorts
To encourage all the musk-laden trade
That could be mustered; the dance floor
Was popular with the Juke-Box students
The last dance came towards a close...
As well as opening for breakfast
Also had a dancing area
A sop perhaps to obtain a longer licence;
One which goes from the early morning
Back into the early morning
Nevertheless
The dance area was a valuable attraction
A Venus flytrap of sorts
To encourage all the musk-laden trade
That could be mustered; the dance floor
Was popular with the Juke-Box students
The last dance came towards a close...
To read the rest of this page, or indeed the whole thing, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here
Friday, 14 December 2018
Class Apart
Joe also knew intuitively
That these new visitors
Wouldn’t be like the wealthy tourists of old
Those selfish transitory leisure classes
Who came here simply to be served
Who came here for their pampered egos
To be preserved in aspic
With no care for those who served them
They were well prepared, happy
Happy to move on
To move swiftly on...
That these new visitors
Wouldn’t be like the wealthy tourists of old
Those selfish transitory leisure classes
Who came here simply to be served
Who came here for their pampered egos
To be preserved in aspic
With no care for those who served them
They were well prepared, happy
Happy to move on
To move swiftly on...
To read the rest of this page, or indeed the whole thing, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here
Thursday, 13 December 2018
Involvement
Joe saw energy in the town
A youthful vibrant energy
An energy that his village had lost
Lost so so completely
He turned to his old friends
And said; boys
With what this town’s already got
It’s going to go somewhere
I’ve read the posters
They are asking people
That means you, and me, all of us...
A youthful vibrant energy
An energy that his village had lost
Lost so so completely
He turned to his old friends
And said; boys
With what this town’s already got
It’s going to go somewhere
I’ve read the posters
They are asking people
That means you, and me, all of us...
To read the rest of this page, or indeed the whole thing, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here
Wednesday, 12 December 2018
Urbanisation
Joe thought his village cold and dead
Yet here it is, in our day
A model
For new urban developments
Rural life transposed to commuter land
Villages overlapped with other villages
Developers redeveloping the rural idyll
Building a pastiche of a past life
What is everyone scared of
Why standstill, or worse
Why try to go backwards
Thought Joe
For Joe the town was different...
Yet here it is, in our day
A model
For new urban developments
Rural life transposed to commuter land
Villages overlapped with other villages
Developers redeveloping the rural idyll
Building a pastiche of a past life
What is everyone scared of
Why standstill, or worse
Why try to go backwards
Thought Joe
For Joe the town was different...
To read the rest of this page, or indeed the whole thing, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here
Tuesday, 11 December 2018
Music It Is
In Weatherspoon’s
Joe is alone
His friends have decided not to join him
He sits beside the jukebox
A cold beer
A warm cigarette
A rough-cut shirt
His best biker’s leather jacket
His sharp-cut leather boots
His extravagant belt
With buckles, studs, and trophies
Youth in all of its glory
Fearless, that is until...
Joe is alone
His friends have decided not to join him
He sits beside the jukebox
A cold beer
A warm cigarette
A rough-cut shirt
His best biker’s leather jacket
His sharp-cut leather boots
His extravagant belt
With buckles, studs, and trophies
Youth in all of its glory
Fearless, that is until...
To read the rest of this page, or indeed the whole thing, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here
Monday, 10 December 2018
New Winners
Joe thought otherwise
The pub is dead
Just like the chapel is dead
The church is no longer the lifeblood
Or the focus of the community
The church is now devoid of ordinary folk
No more local festivals
No more ever-caring parishioners
Yet still the cold moves in on the church
As so too do the familiar delusions
But Joe’s precious time
Right now
Was away from his cold village
Although it was not
Not too too far away
He walked in the filtered sunlit woods
Wandered aside the splashing streams
He loved the noise of life’s quiet places
He had a pixies touch on the footpaths
He stroked the stone walls
Just as if they were female sculptures
OK there were no longer any potato fields...
The pub is dead
Just like the chapel is dead
The church is no longer the lifeblood
Or the focus of the community
The church is now devoid of ordinary folk
No more local festivals
No more ever-caring parishioners
Yet still the cold moves in on the church
As so too do the familiar delusions
But Joe’s precious time
Right now
Was away from his cold village
Although it was not
Not too too far away
He walked in the filtered sunlit woods
Wandered aside the splashing streams
He loved the noise of life’s quiet places
He had a pixies touch on the footpaths
He stroked the stone walls
Just as if they were female sculptures
OK there were no longer any potato fields...
To read the rest of this page, or indeed the whole thing, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here
Sunday, 9 December 2018
Old Losers
You know the kids today, they are lost
They have lost their way
It was so different in our day
You can almost hear the words rise
From the gathered throng
Outside of the chapel:
Our church
Or to be precise our chapel
It was a lovely building
A Welsh slate roof
Slate from the valleys no wonder...
They have lost their way
It was so different in our day
You can almost hear the words rise
From the gathered throng
Outside of the chapel:
Our church
Or to be precise our chapel
It was a lovely building
A Welsh slate roof
Slate from the valleys no wonder...
To read the rest of this page, or indeed the whole thing, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here
Saturday, 8 December 2018
Cellar Talk
Friday, 7 December 2018
Home
The cellar was the whitest room in the house
Walls covered in a lime-wash
Walls with a cover that shone
The shine in the lime-wash
Came from its bond
A bond made from animal flesh
It is flesh then...
Walls covered in a lime-wash
Walls with a cover that shone
The shine in the lime-wash
Came from its bond
A bond made from animal flesh
It is flesh then...
To read the rest of this page, or indeed the whole thing, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here
Thursday, 6 December 2018
Pub Talk
Wednesday, 5 December 2018
Goodness
Tuesday, 4 December 2018
Edgy
That bloody nervous twitch
I’m sure it comes from me stutter
It gets right on me bloody nerves
Just like having to do
That climatic withdrawal
Given half a chance I’d have the snip
But yer know what mothers are like
She’d go barmy, soft bugger
One day all this will be mine
Then I’ll make ‘em pay
Pay for everything...
I’m sure it comes from me stutter
It gets right on me bloody nerves
Just like having to do
That climatic withdrawal
Given half a chance I’d have the snip
But yer know what mothers are like
She’d go barmy, soft bugger
One day all this will be mine
Then I’ll make ‘em pay
Pay for everything...
To read the rest of this page, or indeed the whole thing, you can find it on Amazon by clicking here
Monday, 3 December 2018
Streetwise
Sunday, 2 December 2018
Cleverness
An don’t let 'em think
That we’re not as clever as they
I’ve read me books
And done the sums
What with the dole
And the social
Boy o boy...
That we’re not as clever as they
I’ve read me books
And done the sums
What with the dole
And the social
Boy o boy...
Saturday, 1 December 2018
Roughness
Of course you see them as rough sorts
Their words are coarse words
Yet it was never like this
Back in your chapel days
Or in the Sunday school
Or at home with the children...
Their words are coarse words
Yet it was never like this
Back in your chapel days
Or in the Sunday school
Or at home with the children...
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