Rhubarb soldiers of an equilibrium

As for the earthquake
The end soon came
The land had been shaken
To its foundations
And its pillars of strength gave way
All throughout

All, all throughout the day
The rain fell down
Down the well
The well filled up
And then spilled over
Over, over
Down the street
The cobbled crumbled
Tumbled down street
And kissed each stone with
Its wet lips
And licked each leaf
And drank each gutter
And it rushed, and rang
Gushed and harangued
Down the cobble street

And all the others were like
stolen ivy
Given to a fairy king
To replace the daughter
He had married off
To the Lily stalk
And all the Lords and Ladies walk
Down the cool fresh rill
In the hinterland of promises
And Primroses he could never keep
But the ivy grew and twisted around his throne
Until he was left alone
In his garden kingdom
And the Queen would groan
For her freedom
And under the green shade
Of the Rhubarb leaf she would
Find it dry
In the pouring rain

Priceless

The fact of this living is
Little and often
The green wash comes in across the hills

There used to be a picture
Of someone on the wall
A picture of us together
The time before the fall
But it never lasted the sun dried its paint
The rain came in left it
Stained and taint
A man came by one day and wanted to buy
It
I said how much are you willing to pay
To me it is priceless

He said name your price
I said how do you put a price tag
On paradise

So he gave me a gold bar
And I weighed it in my arms
I said this ain't worth enough
For the memory is like a balm

How do you weigh a memory he asks
I say try a feather from a golden goose
He says don't get cute
So I said
Try cutting the air with a razor blade and give me a slice
Give me a peel of a sunny day in June
Or the grey sky when I feel
It'll rain pretty soon
Give me that put it in a jar
And I'll take it

Now he went to fetch a dog
And said inside it is dark
And the dog opened his mouth
And out flew a crow
And he said how about that
For a neat trick?
I said I know

So I held the crow and considered it
Was it worth my picture of the dream
Then the crow did spit
And out came another dog
Smaller this time and all wet
Like it had just been born
A tiny dog the size of a toy

But it will grow
Said the crow
And I was surprised he could talk
So I picked up the dog
And went for a walk

The man came running after me
And said what about the picture
Oh I said, you can take it
And the whole house too if you like
I have something far more valuable here
With my little toy dog that barks

Thomas a' Beckett and Samuel

This is what it takes

She said she’s moving to Somerset

To get access to him

You can’t see nothing up the steps

Only when he is grabbing his collar

And he leapt up on the table on a Wednesday

And we’re going to be like sardines tonight

What can it take

This pop culture of

You’s and me’s

The dirt in the sugar

The coal in the snow

All these youngsters

I am almost them

Only missing a fragment

Called love or freedom

From fear

One wedding is at 3pm

Because they want Brexit after the wedding

They want what?

That’s gonna cost a lot extra

And an awful lot of stress

I really wonder why they are bothering

What- to get married?

Can I try some carrot cake

Yeah why not

Well she’s diabetic isn’t she

Well its for the baby

They can’t get a kebab because

Tom is funny about what he eats

Well if he’s funny about what he eats

Then they should just…

I mean I didn’t bother

Busta’s eaten a whole bar of soap

They used to be here

You were right

They used to bring a whole box of tropical boxes

Where they used to have twelve ash trays now they only have three

And you know it brings me down

They dogs in the parlour

The beast in the garden

But they don’t come in because the green fairy is there

Always licking them before they get to close

That is one god-damn demon kick ass fairy

Sure is

Greatest in the land

And I heard this boy say to me you’ve got

A bit of bird shit on your car

And I said to Sam

Is that right

I’ve got your car

She said no

She said I wanted to say hello to him

She called him

And she thought Jack would come running up to her

But she said how long has it been since the fit

And they said a couple of months

And then he weed last night

He peed last night

And he was looking funny and then started going backwards

And he went straight into the door

And started going backwards

And last night he was really sickly

And I tried taking him downstairs

And he was looking at me like that ain’t right

I don’t know what you are trying to do to me

And he shot back upstairs

and then went out again

I mean normally he isn’t like that

Well I came down – that was last night?

For a fag and I would have said there was something not right about him

A Song for lost Youth

It was the year of 19
When flowers bloomed
In between
The days gone by and some unseen
It was the year of 19

I was 37 years of age
I thought myself somewhat of a sage
Knowing not of what had been
Throughout the year of 19

And youth it had walked on by
Those girls I'd loved
Had said goodbye
What more could I
Think to say
But that this was my, my birthday

The fires burned in eternal sky
The figures heard
A breathless cry
I said I am the one you mean
Nothing special
In the year 19

For many watches had been made
By others more worthy of the age
By others whose place was renowned
Beyond my own so earthbound

What would I give to reclaim the time
I'd sell my soul on the turn of a dime
To get back what I had lost
To visit once on youth's bright ghost

But alas that's not meant to be
The swallows swoon in the arms of the sea
The Spring time looms like another thread
As the winter spinner sets down her head
And Autumn's mistress lets down her leafy locks
There in her hairs some strands of summer shocks

And her yellow hair still grows out through the grey
As there will still be sunshine in the cloudy day

And this is the song for youth yet to come
For those will carry on the torch of marathon
For the tortoise and the hare
For the leopard who never changes
For the lakes and mountain ranges
Giving some back drop
To the strangeness
Of being here,
Of simply being

Out of here

I don't want to squander what I've been given
Don't want to wander too far or get riven
By an ax of mistakes that comes in and makes
Little genuflects of jealousy's snakes

I don't want to hear from the swans on the blower
The white cream bun ice flakes
Sent in storms that flower
Like paper weights, the leaves of fate
Are falling from time's tree of late
And don't want to be the only one
To know her

Some where in the kindled darkness
Lies a glowing coal
Of all the sparks of human kindness
That light up a soul

Somewhere in the trees bowl
The heart wood beats its thud
The cows in the morning field
Likewise chew their cud

And far from all of this city
Of hectic vice
Lies a land so pure and pretty
They call paradise

A toppling now the tower of verse
Leans over like in Pisa
And all the words fritter worse
Like a confetti's glitter

They fall upon the heads
Of the wedding guest
And the bride whose blessed
To take her rest
In the busy bridal bed

Into the sound and the silence

One needs a certain armour
To walk down the city streets
One cannot simply walk in favour
Of every citizen he meets

It is not hard to see them
The hard men in their throngs
Doing good when they're told too
The other times doing wrong

There are sweet doves waiting
Like sparrows in the roof
Holding on to each belfry
Like a lawyer hold onto truth

And belying the bellyful of sorrow
That emptiness leaves in their stomach
Between their toes are the nest of crows
Who wing their way to the pulpit

Sitting in their black attire
They hold counsel there
The wise men of the city
The true parliament of the lair

What would they say to corruption?
Squawk and then say no more
Because silence bellies destruction
Like the dying corpse of a whore

Judging by their numbers
The ravens sing the score
And all in Corvin negyed join them
The black hearts of the poor

Budapest Gravy

Look I walk upon the street my name is big man of Budapest
I walk with puffed out bloated chest

Get out the way ye sonny boys
No more shall you bother my way
I am rich man, wealthy tyrant
Hear my bank notes making hay

Pass I by the bustling banks
Erste bank and OTP
They have my blessings
They have my savings
Though circling vultures
Forebode above

The nation bubbles upon a cauldron
Knivving witches and sorcerers stir
They fan the flames that make strange broths grow
And sup their takings in their bowls

Down the street I meet the dogmen
Walking their wives and girlfriends' Fidos
Look their faces are like their masters
The dogs lead these men by the nose

Those same circles hubble bubble
Witches stir with dead men's bones
Thirty years have now past us
And their curses return to atone

They rock and roll the dog headed men
They knock their knuckles upon restless doors
Never stopping, but stealing quarters
For the Nations acumen

The grifters lurk around every corner
Tricksters lean against lamp posts
They are seated in the board rooms
As drunkards rest like freedoms ghosts

And Shop girls patter in the cafes
Bearded Bohems boast in barbers
Toad like kings sit on their riches
Counting money  like birds of the sky

Allay your fears the wine is soothing
The government gives us pavements
The river is drunk down by the citizens
Drop by bitter drop

Ashen faces look at the fires
The city is burning by the mob
All the emperors shower their vanities
With statues raised to a bold man's job

And with this statue they hope to prove
The Gods favour worthy of their sacrifice
But none would give what they owe us
None but the prosperous who secret their hoards

In the city park grow the fruit trees
Grafted on plum to apple
As the Mosque is grafted to the chapel
And in the Bell tower of the pear tree
Rings the fruit of rotten boroughs
In the warm breeze
That blows the wind chime
Soothing like the wise words of people
Whose dishonesty drops like a burning steeple
Upon their own heads like the reign of time

And if just one should speak the true words
Then we may have our just desserts
But it is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven
Than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle