For Marguerite

All the places I travel to
Time is free at no cost
Ashton - from ashes to ashes
To the poet's wood (Audenshaw)
Where Auden talked with Bernard Shaw
Even the weavers wove their web
In Droylsden where waters ebb
Then flow into the miller's dough
of Milnrow
Thrashing at the fresh hay of Newhey
A deer stalker passed by the way of Derker
And a freeman took his land in Freehold
Who knows why you'd risk your success in Failsworth?
Newton Heath and Moston are the best towns to get lost in
In Monsall, they sell moon rock on a Sunday morning
In Crumpsall they can buy it back again out of season

Of course you can get your arrows fletched
And your bowstring stretched
in Bowker vale
And some pom-pom girls will make you bouquets
In Pomona
If you feel the need to rest a while
Drop anchor in Anchorage
Its a strong foothold for a gentleman suitor
On his way to Ladywell
Where the finest dames are known by name
To wash their hair
And chambermaids collect their buckets of water

Be careful of the Vikings who invaded long ago
We paid their levees like their toll
When we travelled on the Dane Road
And the wives of Stretford are hoiking up their britches
As they cross the waters
Tip-toeing to Timperley

The summer birds are nesting in the eves of Martinscroft
Because the green leaves grow in the withies of Wythenshaw

And everybody knows a rolling stone
Gathers no moss
It only feels its loss
When it stops
In the shade of shadow moss

strange days

Strange days

The window pane with sun rays

The nights are Stranger still

As winds and rain fall and fill

A stranger walks up a foreign hill

And love is strangest of all

Love is a stranger

You must kiss or kill

Choose one or the other

Both will settle the bill

Do you let a stranger pay

For your meal

Do you let another feel

What you feel?

And what when you're the stranger

Will you know how love feels

To be walking in a land

With a friend to lend a meal

Will you be let in the door

Of somebody's home

Or be left out in the field

To grow more hungry alone

roots

Roots of this city

This is the tree

The plants are the people

They settle they join 

Spread their fingers to the water

Feel the river

Some are born here by

Rights to die

Some have lived

Such separate lives

But their roots are set down

Like stones writ in blood

Deep in the heart of the ground

Where they tread

While acacia trees tower

Like the panel buildings above

And bees beside garden fences

Drone and buzz

My heart is in the river

The peace keeper of love

It sings all the sweeter 

For chestnut leaves above

That drop brown to the nutty ground

And crinkle when crushed

Like foot on a crown

wrought

Not everything we write is wrought
Not everything we find is sought
And not all that we buy is bought
Though the gold be sold for

And in Each one is side or slaught
The better which we might be taught
The sons or daughters of the naught
Who fossilize the cradle

Don't write me no more letters now
I have no eyes to read them
Don't send me flowers in a bough
I have no heart to feel them

And if my skin should fail me now
If my bones should break beneath
The onslaught of the waves of fate
I trust in you my teeth

panels impression

I wake up in the morning
Panel buildings in my head
Concrete cliffs surround me
Down the beach street
Where the bus sped

And this street is a river
The people like fish fled
Fleet finned like a sparrow
On each corner
An acacia tree bled
Like sea weed
Crying for Hungary
In the waves
The starved of starling streets
The pigeon happy
Pecking crumbs at your feet
The holding on to church
Of the bum
Asleep in the grave yard
With his trousers round his ankles

And the endless streets
Warmth of the bus
The friendly atmosphere
Of two woman chatting while
Looking down at her baby
In the pram
Eyes of love

Poem Hunter

I've been looking for a poem
I've been searching the sea
I've been dragging the river for days
But there just doesn't seem one there to be

Maybe next week
I'll stubble upon one
Hidden under a peeble
On the shore
Maybe it will round face me
Maybe I'll skim it and see

If it skips,
If it flies
And if that poems
A true one
The feelings will magnetize
The lyrics
Will roll like a coaster
Their pendulum rhythm
Hypnotize

Or else it will drop
Like a stone in the water
And sink into the sludge
To be buried in the silt

Of Lizards and Lights

I didn't follow you on that parade
The flight of the libertines
I must admit I was too afraid
Too afraid of what might have been

I was gone in all sorts of ways
Before you
Before you or I
Had stepped out the door

I was in light
I was in shade
And I didn't want
Those changes anymore

I'm like a chameleon
Who changes his skin
To fit into the environment
He is in
And the Autumn here is changing its hue
So I can turn too
Out of blue
Into a shade of orange

You in your groves
So Olive
You in the grooves
of your skin
You in the cracks in the pavement
In the paper bark that's wearing thin

Throw your clothes in the fire
Salamander be born again
My twin
We should have been brother and sister
But in the war
We know neither one of us can win

The oak grows bare on the hillside
The Cypress trees blow in the wind
The candles flicker on the window's ledge
As I pledge this poem
a Hymn

Mars Day

Out  here on Mars
It's hard to make a living
All the culture Vultures
Are busy with their killing

Out here on Mars
They talk backwards too
In fact I told them I liked animals
And they locked my soul in a zoo

Its hot though and I like it
Strange it is to say
Like autumn hasn't touched us
We're sliding down the Milkyway

And I work with a lot of Martians
They are always building bricks and bombs
They say they're building an army
To take over Earth
Well its seems barmy
Hardly worth it
To me

You know the parade is on
The Carnival is tuning up
We have to March this way til Christmas
In case the Russians turn up
And if they do
We'll take their flag
And burn it up

It's hard you know, the burning
The atmosphere's so thin
They really don't get the joke at all
Its lucky they're all thick skinned

I keep my bell jar helmet on
All the Martian day long
I can't understand
What they say to me
The wires got crossed
Its all wrong

Death Cafe

What was Death like in school?
Was he a Goth, or a rebel or a sloth
Was he a lone ranger
Was death a she, a difficult person
tipping the cloth
Did anyone tell Death not to talk to strangers?
Did anyone try to make friends with death, try
To sit down in a cafe and just shoot the wind
Did anyone ever really get under death's skin?
What were death's parents like?
Night and Chaos
Now that must have been an awkward family set up
Perhaps at home they got on like a house on fire
But honestly I doubt it

Perhaps Death was prone to running away
He did not like his father's terrible rages
And sometimes when his mother entered his room
Like a wraith, he thought hang on
Someone's turned the pages
Put me back in the plot for a spot
I'm lost like a ghost in science fiction movie
I'm out of this world
Yet tied down by its chains
Things can be strange surely they can be rearranged
I guess, I'm only guessing though

Perhaps he was very well behaved in school
Not the one slouching over his desk
Perhaps he was first class
A high flyer
The person everyone just loved to hate
Or thought would do terribly well at his job
And imagine this you death snobs
Death must know virtually everything
There's not a corner of this world he hasn't
Globe trotted to
Neither is there an inch of our Psyche
He hasn't gained access to
He has a VIP card for most Venues
After all he's very well connected
He has a large extended family

Psyche in fact is a cousin of his
Quite often they have been enemies
Another mother, and an aunt per chance
He spends his summer holidays with
While Night is too busy in Arctic Norway
To look after him
Is Dementia
She can be a bit of a pain
Always forgetting his birthdays
Death days - she jokingly calls them
Sometime she even slips into a rage
You can't control her like a banshee world wind
Sometimes she's like a child playing with
Pomegranite seeds
Slipping them in and out her mouth
Not sure whether to eat them
But all this was decided long before her
By her mother -Mother Nature -The Four Seasons

And so Death goes out and trudges through the snow
Leaving no footprints anyone would know
- he's carbon neutral
And Politically inert
Though as a teenager he'd wave a banner of protest
Get under the shirt of Chaos his father
Who is busy causing merry hell in Parliament
Losing elections, rigging votes
Generally carpet bagging, gerrymandering
Pandering to the electorate
And making unwanted approaches to Elektra
his intern for the season

Death would come back from these marches
Down in the mouth, in need of a coffee
Or something stronger
And so he would lurch into a cafe
To fall in conversation with strangers
Just to talk about the word on everyone's lips, but his
(because he had none)
Him
That is one of his faults
He loves talking about himself too much
And so does everybody else
But they won't admit it to eachother
No neither themselves
Most of the time
Apart from on their own (or perhaps with their mother)
Because in crowds they talk about Life
'Being Alive' his son
'Lively' and Live-Wire the successful daughters
Vibrant, Life's wife
then Thriving and Full of Life
Really they are quite a smug family thought death to himself
But then he had Sex
And Sex and Death got married
Night and Chaos were so happy
And their first child Violence
well, he was a bit of a disaster,
No sorry Disaster was the second child
Then there came Calamity Jane
Doubt and Betrayal
And they had a whale of a time
It is a shame thought Death that this all had to End
But in Ending there is a Beginning
That is the cycle of Birth and Death
Birth, I suppose, being their unwanted twin
Who was adopted by the Life family
And went on to have many children of her own (thankfully)
Still Death likes to talk now and then in cafes
Sometimes in more private places
And you have to give him space
To have his say
You have to invite this guest to your table
Because he's there anyway in the background
And you'll have to make friends with him
one day
Perhaps not today though
Hey?

In morning

In the morning
The pavement unrolls in the morning
In the morning

The bridges unroll
From the night before
From the bright before
The light already is dawning

And they pack up all their lights
In the morning  from the night
Before
In the morning

In the morning
The bridges wrap up the lampposts
And they roll the steel girders
Like a scarf and they
Walk off down the river path
And leave all the people standin'
Wonderin' about
Who they are
Why they can't cross the river
No more
So they go home
Don't go to work

Under the arches
Where they stand up in starches
Like shirts
On a dirty washing line
Under the arches where
The people marches
To the men in their moustaches
Next to the larches
Where the river pines
For the ones who were there
And the ones who don't care
And the ones laid bare
In the lines

In the morning where the pavement unfurls
Like a carpets of tarmac curls
And the steams whispers up from the cracks
And the men with the loads
On their backs
Are hauling themselves
Up the tracks
To work
For the finger less gloves
To the grains in their palms
And the sands in the arms
Of their loves
Who they roll like an oyster
Against themselves
And turn their grit into pearls
As the pavement unfurls

In the morning of our lives
In the street car dives
Where the trams they crawl like
Snails
They crawl through the sprawl
Of the big city brawl
That breaks all their shells
With their horns and their yells
But the garden it keeps on a growin'
Like a flourishing thing
This kingdom of the urban king
In his concrete jungle
But the lions lost their tongues
On the bridge of no ones
And the animosity of a freedom
The anonymity of a freedom
Where they can forget themselves
In the jungle where they run
With the pavements in the morning

Hey, hey Mona

Hey, hey Mona
Won't you lend me your smile
I've been walking
round this phony town
And I can only
Fake it for a while

I see behind your lashes
Are the ashes
Of a love gone astray
In my mouth there's a sour taste
that I can't betray

Move out of that picture frame
I'm coming on in your way
I've got to make an appearance
They're all expecting me today

Hey, hey Mona
Won't you lend me your smile
I've been falling over myself
Mile after mile
The road is long and a heavy
load is on my back
Just touch me with your beauty
And I promise to keep on track

Hey, hey Mona
I've got the keys
Now your jailer is asleep
I promise to set you free
Just give me this one thing
That I am asking for
Flash me that smile of yours
Before you run out the door

Hey, hey Mona
Blood in my mouth
One tooth is broken
And all the moneys going south
Even you hanging up there
Are falling apart
Just lend to me your smile
And it'll mend my broken heart

A day to remember

The dog is like a restless moon
Always moving
Always moving
Its out of focus
Gone too soon

And the home we had
Its on the move
The removals men
Are trying to improve

Somme days long ago
In a field
Where the mud twists up
In the weeds
And the elder-flower berries
Are too visceral
To touch in memory

I see
In fragments
This listless beast
It rises
Like the Spanish Armada
On oceans like a bloody
horizon
Where the Sun bleeds
Out its yoke

And the reel ends
I'm back with friends
And the joke
Is on me
As I sit on the straw bale
The wedding has paled
In to the diffuse night
Storms rise in the window
The fires ebb in the hearth

All the dust and showers
Of yesterdays powers
Have lent us their
Forgetting laugh

And tragic is the road
But this is perception
It is nothing so true
As memory

These days

You say
These days nothing's built to last
And good things are a thing of the past
I don't think so
I don't think so babe


And you say
These days
everything is broken down
The king in his castle even wears a broken crown
I say I don't think so babe
Listen to what is being spoken in town
I don't think so baby

These days the shoe's on the other foot
Your arguments are faulty
You've been cooking the books
And I say if the glove fits
Then look
I don't think so babe
I don't think so

You say
The sun never shines
You say your place or mine
These days it seems loving is a crime
Well you know
I don't think so
I don't think so babe

These days the dogs in the park
Never listen when you tell them not to bark
And I never listen when the day turns dark
Well you know I
Don't think so,
I don't think so babe

You say
These days they seem so long
And these nights they don't last
And times seem to fly by so fast
Well I don't think so
I don't think so babe

You say so what if the earth
comes to its end
Well we've been such good friends
And you say its all breaking now
You know I don't think so
I don't think so babe

These days
Sunlight ripples on the river
But you say the river runs slow
I don't know
I don't think so

I did it for you

I'd do it for you
Through the flood waters of blood
I have waded
I did it for you

Through the darkness
As the sunlight faded
And swam through pools of sharks
I did it for you

I moved the chairs as the musician
Swears
At his notes
And the stars fall to the floor
I swept them all up
And brought them to you
I did it all for you

And He is a liar and a cheat
Who treats me like meat
On the butchers table
But I went to him too
I did it for you

And there's a house of cards
With a king at the top
And its falling down
Because they're all
On the take
And even the Queen is in love with a rake
But she wears her frown
Like she wears her crown
On a slant
Oh I thought I can't
I thought I shan't
But I shall
I did it all
For you

Because the joker of the pack
Stabbed me in the back
And now the Jack of hearts
Is bleeding
And he has thrown the dice twice
Across the hall of ice
Where he's reeling
In the feeling
Of all the paradise
In the gardens
Where he's been strolling
When the Ace of Spades comes rolling
Digs a grave, the size of a knave and him
And asks him to keep vigil

But he can't
He shan't
Wear the clothes of the emperor
When the sun comes up
He's left town
And the king has lost his crown
Its been stolen
And the Diamond suit is swollen
I did it all for you
You know its true

Draft and the tribes of Tumbleweed

And pubic hair begat Hairball
And Hairball joined with Bedding-Fluff
And together they brought forth Fluff-ball
Fluff-ball begat Tumbleweed
And tumbleweed did blow into the dark desert lands
Under the bed where he lived for many years
An Ascetic existence
Until the tribe of dustpan went searching him out
And war did Dustpan make on Tumbleweed
So That Tumbleweed
Became greatly diminished in both tumble
And weed, but was still at essence tumble weed
And so He rolled into Corner lands
Of Skirting board mountain ranges
There ravaged by many a storm sent by
Open Window, to punish him for not
Hiding himself well enough in the desert
No, nor was he spiritually rich
So that he must suffer more hardship
Until he learnt to Obey the law of Draft
Draft coming and going at night
Mysteriously
The Draft works in Mysterious ways it is
Oft said
Here Tumbleweed did grow strong again
And gathered around him others of closely related
Though Distinctly Different families
That did help him multiply
And increase in number, such that soon
Tumbleweed became King of the Corner lands
And did set his face against the tribes of Dustpan
Most stoic like and fierce was he in his demeanor
That some thought true madness reigned in the kings head
But after many wars were won, and the tribes of tumbleweed
Had multiplied again and again
So that Tumble weed begat beard shavings
And Beard-shavings begat nose-clippings
All were said to be Magnificent warriors
And did battle against broom, and brush

But then in the cities of dust and lice
Such licentious behaviour could be witnessed
That lo, see the Tribes of Tumbleweed have lost their way
As one Soothsayer Dinner-droppings was heard to say
And the mighty Draft shall smite them down
But nobody in town did listen to poor Dinner-Droppings
And on one awful day
He himself was wiped out and smeared across flooring lands
By Slipper-sole
So Draft, much angered now that his prophet whom he sent
From up high Dinner Plate
Had been ignored by Tumble Weed City
Sent forth his mighty Weapon, and brought forth his Vengeance
Upon them In a double Whammy of Biblical proportions
First the Doors of Heaven Did open
And a mighty Engine of Draft Breath did breathe
But like unto a dragon with red body and neck of most
Monstrous long length
And at its mouth it breathed not fire
But sucked up Air
In epic proportions such that few of the city escaped its voluminous belly
There was much Gnashing of teeth,
And grinding of wheels, as it is wrote in the book of Henry Hoover
Who recorded Draft's avenging Angel with like name

And it raged like thunder sound rolling all around the mountains
Of Corner land and did decimate Tumbleweed's golden city
Where they had lost their way and worshipped the Filth and Lice
 Of this place instead of the true word of Draft

And after this those who did remain
Fled into the desert lands again under the Bed
To live meagerly for many a season until
They could once again earn good favour with Draft

Take me to the bridge

Take me to the bridge
The cusp of your desire
Take me to the meeting point
Between your life and hell fire
And all the sacred archetypes
Of a thousand walls of fire
Take me to the bridge
To watch the water quench your ire

Your flowers are keeping well
-Well they are dead
Preserved forever
In the land of your head
Yes well if you only knew how much
They mean to me
Ah throw those petals down
To the bowels of the sea

They walked on the promenade
Next to the Danube
The trams were rolling over
The dams rolled like thunder
And the Korean drums rolled on
A rumbling under
Margit Hid's arches
To the questions
No-one can answer

Throw down your flowers
Throw them down to me
Leave them on the watery grave
No need for sympathy
Life moves on like this river
Its the only constancy
Just let your petals fall
Into my sea

We followed their parade
Down the streets of liberty
Where many had overcome
The forces of Tyranny
But all those sorts were put into shade
By the circumstances of chance
That no-one could have foreseen
How the river boats would dance

There are no words that can put
The truth out there
There is only mystery
No answers to despair
And if you try to put a finger on
A certain melancholy key
It will move out from under you
Like the waves of the sea

Ah throw your petals down
For the souls that have drowned
Throw them in the water
That was their funeral ground
The ceremony is over and now
The only sound
Is the rumble of the trams
Playing thunder
The rumble of the drums beating thunder
The rumble of the river rolling under
The bridge
The bridge
That bridge

All of their Christmases come at once

I followed their caravan
They beat a drum
Like thunder
The trams rolled on under
The heavy sky
Margit Hid
Or Bridge
Where the South Koreans did die
You know it was a sad event
When they spent
Several days
Looking for the bodies
What a waste of government subsidies
Some said
But then international relations deemed it necessary
There was a parade
For the families
Who had lost a loved one in the River
The God-damn river
That every tourist needs to see
Why?
It is not that great
Is it worth dying for? That some river boat captain
Should push his throttle lever
To full speed?
Just to make it in front
Of some larger Cruiser
That was aiming at the same place
Anyway
Some matter of pride
That got him sunk
And 30 more souls likewise

I know no-one
Will call me back
But then no-one
ever will
have a chance with these lost
men, women and children

Can they?

Fuck me I'm an animal
That's what makes me a man
That and its undeniable
That I can when I can the can can

All my cans got caught
They were flying North for the winter
She put up her net of naughts
And the Cans got caught in Knots

She left them there in the breeze
Floating like heartless dolphins
And All I could say was please
Can a donkey swim across the oceans?

It cannot?
Then can a Yacht, carry a pail of water?
It can
Then cannot the sky fill a VW van
With Surf Boards
Can the waves practice sport
On land for a change
Can Kings take their holidays
In caravans
Somewhere on the coast of Norfolk
They can

Some days are like these

I saw an egg in a cage
And it set all hell at peace
For nothing we expect
Comes as a release

I couldn't afford a car
So I kept a dinky toy on my shoulder
My mother said what you doing with that boy?
You should wait until you're older
But, I said, mother I'll soon be 99
They'll take away my license
I'll have to take the metro line

Some days are like these
Some days like these

The forest was walking through me one day
I could smell the pine in my socks
I put my trousers inside of my legs
So no one could see I had to wear clothes
I was covering up my un-nakedness

There was a man who stood up very short
His name was Eiffel
And then a tower saw him and thought
I'm going to climb him he looks like a trifle
What it hadn't expected was it had a fear of heights
And as soon as the tower got to his neck
It started to feel sick, and started to wobble
That will teach you said Eiffel to his tower
For being so arrogant for worldly power
No Idea constructed can be taller than a man
Then his wife came and kissed him
And he shrunk into the horizon

Some days are like these

Suck it and see

I was walking down the road
When I saw a cleaner
He looked at me nice
But then he looked meaner
I said hey Joe why are you in a rush
He said I'm running cos I've lost my brush
I said you know you don't need to sweep it
Just push it on the ground
Lick it and keep
Lick it and keep it?
Lick it and keep it

I was walking down the road when I saw a pig
I said how do you Harold?
He said I need a wig
You see I can't decide if I'm a pig or a man
So I picked up from the road a shiny tin can
I said wear that on your head and you'll look like a soldier
He said boy that looks nice but it won't when its older
I said don't mind that Harold you're going to reap it
Just put it on your head
Lick it and keep it
Lick it and keep it?
Lick it and keep it

I was walking down the road
When I saw a fork
It was lying on the ground like it was dropped by a stork
I gave it to a woman pushing a pram
She said thanks for that and I replied no problem Ma'am
But what, am I meant to do with it now?
My baby won't use it and it can't help me milk a cow
Well I said you can send your baby to sleep with it
Just put it in its mouth
It will lick it and keep it
Lick and keep it?
Lick it and keep it

I was walking down the road when I saw a dentist
I said how come you're looking down in the mouth
He said well you know my business has gone south
I said how come? he said have you heard of chewing gum
Now everyone brushes their teeth there's no work to be done
Well that don't matter man, and I handed him a lolly
Just give one out to everyone and they'll make a folly
He said sure that's a good idea, but is it free
I said just try it out yourself
Suck it and see
Suck it and see?
Suck it and see

I was walking down the road when I saw a spider
I said what you doing now? Are you a spy or an insider?
She said don't get heavy man I'm just hanging round the corners
Looking for a new home trying catch the mourners
I said well you're a dead ringer for a high flyer
But what you need is a broom to make your web higher
She said why do I need a broom when I've got eight legs?
I said that's a good point now you can wear these clothes pegs
Clothes pegs man! What am I meant to do with those?
I said you put them on your feet you can hang up some clothes
She said ok fine but when I walk won't I creep it?
I said no problem luv,
Just lick it and keep it
Lick it and keep it?
Lick it and keep it

Dance until the music fades

I try to look for you
But all I can see is the moon
Well honey why don't you see
I'm coming back to you soon
Come dance with me
And we'll dance until the music fades

I try to walk to you
But then I reach the sea
The land falls away
And I'm left between
The devil and the deep blue
Come dance with me
And we'll dance until the music fades

The Sheiks in their pyjamas
And all their purple shades
I've got sand in my Bahamas
And Royal roll on their parades
Come dance with me
And we'll dance until the music fades

Well the sun is in its sky
And the farm is on its stead
And I'm wondering why
You took offense at what I said
Come dance with me baby
And we'll dance until the music fades

The Roman roads
They slip away
Like a night train rolling
Down the straight railway
I've been riding that train baby
All the day from dusk til dawn
So come dance with me baby
We'll dance until the music fades

The truth

Take this moment

Truth it comes so slow to me
Ah if only I had the eyes to see
But I am blind to what's in front of me
Truth it comes so slow to me

Others can see what I cannot
They get up and leave
At just the right moment
They do not dally to lend a hand
When they see I am a drowning man

Truth it comes so slow to me
What I lack in life is clarity
Others tell me to walk away
That I should never darken the doorway
But all that light turns into shade
When Truth it is so slow to me

But at last the light does dawn
The mansion is revealed
It floods the garden lawn
Every room is revealed inside
And I can see where I have hidden
My pride

Some how myself to me
Has been like this darkened monstrosity
This haunted house where her ghost haunts
But I've drawn back the curtains
The sun shines in through the vaults
And banished are her looks, her books
Banished those times of demise and rooks
Which lived in the upper tower
Have flown far away to some other power

My house is my own again
I live here in my home again
Every room is open
No door is barred
When something is spoken
Nothing gets broken or scarred
The Truth it is so slow to me
But truth at last did set me free

a Truth part 1

Truth, my truth is that happiness
Is not a thing made of clay
It is transient like a golden globe of light
You cannot hold it too long
Before it slips away
It is not earned
Yet nor does it come through laziness
It requires work
It requires oneness
With being and the universe

There is a strange fact
That those who have less but
Spend their time with others
Rate themselves happier
Think, and thinking makes you sad
The knowledge is like a weight
But live, and dance and talk
And socialize
These things make people happy
Not work for work's sake
Life for life's sake
Find the God within
For God's sake