Teams

 

the remote worker
sports the complexion of a pedigree alien grey
pyjama bottoms with shirt and tie
for the protection and dignity of others dressed a similar way
keeping up appearances
for another teams meeting
detritus strewn around his hang-out lounge
hidden below the camera eye
the sun like a disembodied orb
pulverises half his face with wishy-washy vitamin d..

the remote worker
the work abode disrobes the home abode discarded
his manager can monitor his unreal actions in real time
what applications are used and how and when
stress levels
productivity league tables
i am not spying on you
i am only here to advise and help
remember too my challenges are also being..appreciated..

freedom of the remote worker
let us say it is complicated
for a released prisoner on licence has more privacy
he only has an ankle bracelet
first world problems i should be grateful
i should be grateful
i am doing nothing wrong i should be grateful..
the remote worker apprehends that flexibility has its undertow
what the remote worker of today might turn into tomorrow..

the remote worker
two-thousand miles a millimetre
as close as a whisper hourly in the ear
yet the remote worker is envied
by those who still always have to be there
from his window he watches them lurch in slow-mo
ocular anti-bacterial faintly glowing
while in his shirt and tie and his pyjama bottoms
remote working rocking and rolling
invisibly stripped of the accoutrements of relative meaning..

cardboard microwaved twenty coffees and weird cravings
he wanders the shopping aisles
sacrosanct the free hour in his planner every day
he wanders in a park
he wanders around his lounge
then back to work
then back to the fridge
he looks inside the fridge
not for any particular reason
he just needs to look inside the fridge
he realises he has put on some weight
his smart fridge replies that so has he..

once a week he has to go in
for a real meeting
he sits next to someone
someone sits two metres apart from him
then the meeting is over
he prints a few things off the printer
he looks around this floor to catch up with some others
they are not there
and he hates whatsapp
so he goes down the lift
quiet people on escalators
quiet people on trains
the freedom of the remote worker
blade runner on teams..

i should be grateful
many say they want this..

Illusive Flame Enlightened

 

treading around the florid moonscape of his broken heart
again
he choked recognising this looming gloam he wandered
so what did i do wrong this time rang the too familiar refrain
but then he was struck by the realisation
that this required little further investigation
no crime scene fibres need to be analysed under the ultraviolet light
no episodes painstakingly re-enacted frame by frame this time
let the déjà vu-again thing just fade away..

for the weeds by the moon rocks rise to meet broken shadows
the energy of emptiness vivifies in the compressing vacuum
to fall in love then out of love with you
an imagined essence snared by the enchanted perceiver
has oftentimes almost nothing to do with the receiver gifted
and how do you kindle an illusive flame
guarded by a giddy and fleeting ghost..

around the circuits she lapped the laps finding herself rejected
she pounded the shellac pulsing to its ever-looping mobius strip
was it something i did or was it something i said
again she raised her eyes to the heavens
finally drying her tears dispelling the vanishing act
of the self-hypnotising magician
how she had yearned to build on a shared foundation
that allows for growth and to be
while he only wished her to merge with his imagination of her
with all that stage and setting and scenery..

The Cat Lady

on high they wait
the crisp-munching wooden tops concretise
metallic as the sound of trod glass the air-con sodden
mock the cat lady..

on high they wait
peer to peer slyly reviewing one another one another
lunching eyelids within their asbestos lozenge office safe-space
lean leer preen await..

for every day around the same time she walks out her front door
she taps a wooden spoon on her gate
a pleasing jazz fill lifts the air taptaptap..taptaptap..
beholding low and half-ducked behind their reflecting windows
the more sarcastic techno bats on shrill pane echo that back..

they witness two happy cats skip
joyfully she lifts and carries them both inside
some say oohhh and some say aawww
some call her the cat lady
and that seems to be the highlight of their working day..

only one time she looked up and waved at them
and one man warmly smiled and furtively waved back..

Moronic Is More Transmissible

 

christmas shopping again for batman..

and it hardly matters where the big one will happen
trust the plan
it could be donbass or taiwan
or tel aviv and washington
continuing to blow stuff up in iran
what for the mic is there not to like
praying for the retaliatory strike
or poke the bear until the lights go out
or release another gain-of-function virus
or smallpox in an unfortunate cracked vials lab accident
or would that seem too scripted and telegraphed
okay what about placing two high energy mini-nukes
between two tectonic plates
even the maddest conspiracy nut would dare not state that connection..

escalation and trust the plan
false flag here or a false flag there
always christmastime
a deep fake event is always ten percent for the big guy
tabla the tableau as below so below
so let it snow let it snow let it snow..

meanwhile
no office parties for the plebs again
no masks kissing under the mistletoe
oh no
no-one could have guessed 
omicron ~ moronic
one anagram that will never be on countdown
what a conundrum
will the more astute get a funny idea
wondering which cohort again will be encouraged to hold the beer..

do you ever get the feeling they are laughing at us
or are we being just a tad too sensitive
yes as umbilical cords pump unborn babies boosters
i believe in unicorns
no nothing can go wrong
moronic ~ omicron
trust the plan and ride the unicorn
so please
no masks should kiss under the mistletoe
for fondled baubles might shed their viral load
moronic is more transmissible
trust the science and think of the children
the nouveau bongo bang apropos
ten percent for the big guy is good to go
so let it snow let it snow let it snow..

The Mandate Man

 

packed to the gunnels with willy-waving erudition
the mandate man
as smooth as lizard lube another gatekeeper sentry
the mandate man
another mainstream shill eye-lined rinds of blue pills
the mandate man
on teevee lick lurid mash-up topography the duper delight drills
the mandate man..

the circus freaked ring-a-roses surround themselves
around the mandate man
his control file spook lurks in his view shadowing
the mandate man
flames of black tar flicker neath peeling liquid lids
the mandate man
join his team or join another team
it is all good for the mandate man..

fake opinion polls troll and nudge the bell-tolled
the mandate man
the fearful mimic in mirroring booths lock-and-load
the mandate man
budgies fed confirmation bias seed trill and repeat
the mandate man
the mandate man woman man
go on splash yourself some man in the mandate man..

Bucket List

 

she ticked off the last item
and done..

she smiled
the sense of achievement palpable
meaningful..

she gazed out the kitchen window
and breathing the fresh coffee roast in
took a delicious few sips
then..

she caught a flash of crimson outside
flitting from branch to grass to..
for a long second their eyes seemed to lock
and that moment became still..

A Gloved Hand Warmed November

 

leaning over he leant ever lower
craning a gloved hand over the candle flame ember
a discarded cigarette flicked away still lit
a street heater
a gloved hand warmed november..

the gloved hand over a cigarette
a postmodern stained-glass frieze
an ironic holiday postcard of a banksy mural print
for the lucky ones who lead another life
unlikely he would he get it..

stood on the other side my chocolate was making a phone call..
and he gazed down at the cigarette for quite a while
he then collected it up
then shuffled around his belongings
a trolley next to a case
many bags and empty coffee cups full
stacked neatly all in rows and all in line
in front of him on the kerb
and to his left-hand side on the pavement behind
thoughtfully he left plenty of room for passers-by..

he placed the cigarette in one of his cups
and gazed at it
his back by degrees lowering down
he walked back a little
surveying
considering
analysing
the yoga pose remained windswept-stoic..

after a few seconds he raised up
at the speed of the second hand of a watch
going back in time
he fished out the cigarette
perhaps it was not quite extinguished
and might scorch or damage the other items inside
or perhaps the placement seemed not quite right..

and he walked slowly slowly around and around
and a street sweeper semi-circled around him understanding
recycling manifests in many ways
the discarded meaning
gently elevated within its barren priceless cost..

he placed the smoke in another coffee cup
this cup on the other side
he then stared away from here somewhere
he seemed glad to acknowledge a shrugged reception..

he then turned to gaze down at this goblet
he rose a little and walked around his belongings once more
considering and reflecting and musing..

..yeah he is seems to always be there
well at least during office hours
the folks in the coffee shop know him
he often goes in to use the toilet etcetera
he collects things
they know he has some kind of mental health issue
they are okay with him
nice to see..

only a few minutes earlier
and entirely unconnected
we had been talking about a tate modern exhibition
and as it turned out
the only one my coffee-break colleague needed to attend
such coincidences have great timing..

and art
where context is everything
only in the art gallery would this have value and meaning
only in the art gallery the installation artist may say
yeah it means whatever you want it to mean
i am glad it has sold
but that is not entirely the reason why i did it
so please do not ask me what it all means
why i threw it all together as i did
you have to bring yourself to it
use your critical thinking..

lucky for mister tortured artist this man on the pavement
will never be granted access-all-areas
perhaps some intrepid impresario
should offer him a contract
but not everyone can do this as art
again it is the context that provides value and meaning
otherwise it is just kitsch rubbish
that despoils the landscape with bric-a-brac clutter
there is a place for such things..

then leaning to one side he looked up at the slate sky
as a quality street sweet wrapper metamorphosed
he arced his woolly hat gently a net
golden fluttering foil trapezed transfigured
he gazed down contemplating his catch
then he tipped his hat upside-down to release
the golden amber light lifted down landed
and he leant a little lower and a little lower to..
my break was over so i had to go back inside..

Only Two More Years To Flatten The Curve On This Round Earth

the crisp blue lake of sky
vast and tranquil
unblemished
i gaze up at this vast blue lake of sky
kissed with the morning sun rays
the air sparkles heady powdered dew
tasteful elements of crystalline blue
a wafer of angel feathers the offering..

a wafer of angel feathers feathering
a taste-mountain of the sky blue
a dash of lemon sun
a sliver of ice from the still visible crescent moon
a free cocktail of polka dot ozone zephyr
the gentlest brush on the lips
a drop of nectar of forever
a froth of the most wispy cloud hit..

the majesty of the eternal is still a thing
embraced in the fleeting gift
the fleeting gift unwrapped is the memory distilled
stirred whirling within its dynamo of transmutation..

The Driver

 

rolling as smooth as tanks on plastic turf
governments are super efficient when they wish to be
that nietzschean sense of purpose
is all they need..

the jubilating crowds enticed join in
yearning to be told they are in something big together
buddy the boot on face to flatten the curve
the current fascism always looks so different
than the ones read in history books
that is always the excuse
and a post-modern genocide would feel like nothing..

a bleeding man in blue jeans was lying on the ground
the blood was pouring down his legs
and criss-crossing his white shirt
in a pile unmoving almost folded in on himself 
in a foetal position he lay 
one sleeve embracing the shiny refuse..

a rubbish collection van stopped
the driver jumped out
he threw the black bags in the back
then he knelt down and
picked up the discarded flag
before throwing it back on the pavement again..

Faith Drains

 

christian ronaldo
at a press conference
took down the real thing
a well-known drain cleaner
also consumed as a soft drink..

a simple impromptu action
caused shares of that product to plunge
investors perturbed ran for the door
after he moved two bottles out of shot
and said agua
the butterfly power drive..

lucky for the astonishingly indebted usa
the dollar as reserve currency is still believed to be the real thing
though not yet tested in drains..

Mud-Dial Countdown

 

count down the days to holiday-time again – check..

vaccine passport – check
masks – check
track-and-trace – check
safe list check – check
graphene booster to fortify the life-affirming experimental jab – check
packs of tests in bag – check
holiday reservation confirmed – check
sunglasses – check
dystopian sci-fi novel for thought-provoking reading material - check
holiday time..

the airport – all in line
good green subjects mask-up to breathe in our carbon dioxide - check
breathe in again and again until the new normal is behind - check
responsibly recycle our own lung waste material to save our planet - check
fall-in the we-are-in-this-together-forever together - check
hello greta
ad nausea..

an added nudge
avoid the threat of the few thousand pounds fine
for not complying
no holiday
if our paltry savings are used to pay the not-masking-up fine..

our blood and brain will be fine
set an example to the jabbed masked children - check..

social distancing on a budget plane not required - check..

arrival in paradise -
everything scanned – check
additional tests – check
id added to more databases – check
shade the freedom-loving people in the sunshine - check..

hotel check-in – check
covid-id déjà vu again again again again – check
check check check check check - check
hotel room – check
sunglasses and mask – check
social distance on the beach – check
mask-up on the beach - check
breathe in my precious lung effluvia in sunny climes – check
covertly take my mask down
only after scoping the sand dunes for spies - check..

lying in the sand
gaze up into the infinite starry night
ask myself what it all means
in the sand – check
hear the rolling surf sneak under noise-cancelling headphones – check
clutch in my tightening fist wet sand granules the texture of mud - check..

count the days down until this wonderful holiday ends – check..
count up the days..
until the next morale-boosting holiday arrives again – check..

Tasteful Thumbnail

seldom shocked i was struck by a thumbnail
a comely woman in a bikini cross legged in the sand
toussled golden hair
the best of vietnam..

the best of vietnam
of course i understood immediately
click
a baby boomer had uploaded their favourite music
never mind the napalm and agent orange edgy exfoliants
the gulf of tonkin false flag that helped justify further involvement
the dad of jim morrison the uss maddox admiral
the end indeed
then there was cambodia and laos
a few million more there
some of the landmines are still killing people off fifty years on..

the best of vietnam
a few oscar-winning films
suspend disbelief and make millions
entertainment empire..

the best of vietnam
and haight ashbury
the military industrial entertainment complex
the lookout mountain hollyweird..

the best of vietnam
a photo of a comely woman her eyes closed
doing some yoga on the sand
the best of vietnam..

millions slaughtered to the stones and the beach boys
burned alive to hendrix
purple haze
the beatles and other tavistock institute puppets
villages scorched to great guitars
a woman doing yoga on the california sand
the best of vietnam..

typical comment left for the curator 
i was there..
typical reply
sir thank you for your service defending freedom..
the music was great..
.

the best of afghanistan
the best of libya
the best of iraq
the best of syria
the best of yemen
the thumbnail could be a masked non-binary on an exercise bike
music defending our way of life..