Strange Familiars

 

now over two years on
and all by himself in the car
still he wears that mask..

feeding the ducks in the park
even though she is all by herself
still she wears that mask..

and sat in the nearby outside cafe
two members of a family
still vape those graphene masks..

their baby and dog stare up bewildered and confused
but to the two masked familiar strangers who peek-a-boo
the baby and dog seem to be cognitively challenged..

gently as the trees sway
and rustle a rattlesnake conversation with falling hourglass sand
a barefaced golf player panicked breathes from his asthma inhaler
as he traipses searching for his dropped mask-exemption badge..

Two Conscripts

 

though he knew his comrade had fallen
he continued to wrap bandages around his head
though he knew his comrade had fallen..

To The Wider Nowhere

it seems like they are dwindling
more straggly the shedding throngs seem to be
the surviving elderly infantry that funnel themselves inside the supermarkets 
the most committed of whom often hold silent arguments with price labels
strained arguments pleading arguments
resigned arguments that the blowing synthetic baked-bread air
wishes away to the wider nowhere..

many for the price of none gratis
such one-sided debates echo
around and within these hollowed-out immersive installation-art showrooms
the weimar kingdom catharsis all the bat sonar signals crazy golf
though we are told that last year we avoided even a shallow technical recession
and this financial year we will also avoid another
good news on good news
so why all this angst..

marching through himself in glitching freeze frames
stepping off the bus he walks to the electronic front doors
the same lady who is always there
and always perched on her plastic stool outside selling her magazine..
he respectfully nods at her
she warmly smiles at him
then he circumnavigates more pressing concerns
as he stiltedly walks beside himself inside..

as the glass doors swish shut behind him
and the speaker system blares out loops of the endless
all their shrill notices and slogans amped
he feels like he is drowning
he is hearing everything underwater
his already trenched mind drowns stuffed more with mud
as he becomes utterly locked and blocked inside himself..

so how many decades has he been shopping at this supermarket
do the cameras now even pay him any mind
zoom..click..nah..
and he feels like sobbing again with the dull shock of it all
for everything that he once believed in it seems has come to this..
being responsible
careful budgeting
deferred gratification
knowing the difference between right and wrong 
and living by good values and good deeds..
much of that just trampled on
and so cruelly so mundanely so anonymously
and so easily peeled back like a cheap plastic sheet of imitation oak veneer
that it is not
in this weimar kingdom money just cannot stretch that far now
thus in the deep subterranean catacombs
now party hard the gilded termites to the sky
to the sky..

so here we are
so here we are
he has fifteen pounds but he needs at least twenty
he takes a basket for the items he can pay for
he has a small unobtrusive plastic bag for the rest
he trembles along the aisles with his essential items list
a few items that are asterisked are the ones he will try to..

triggered when he hears the exit door alarming
he straightens up like a switched on toy doll
its shrill trilling pulls him up so..

a tunnel-visioned woman is stopped in mid-gallop
she is quickly pulled aside
she is asked to open her bag
she puts up a faux animated protest almost for the sake of it
she is offered options for the choice..

he reminds himself that he has already done this exercise once before
the last time was his first time and less than a fortnight ago..

that time he synced his escape with a gaggle of slowly exiting teenagers
and when the alarms sirened that time
he was let through without the second glance
once outside he gingerly step-ran
though relieved about the successful execution of the plan
it still took a while for his ticker to slow down
but how many times can he get away with that
and he felt bad for those teenagers
and while reflecting he found himself
having to choke back sobs on that bus ride home..

he still feels stark shame about that 
he stands stock-still in the aisle
he stares down again at his essential items list
he glances to the exit door assessing
he is frozen in the aisle stock-still
he asks himself whether he is able to steel himself
steel himself to do it again
those essential items asterisked
one more time
one more time..

Once Before An Unbroken Time..

 
though one swallow may not make a summer
and one bloom of bluebells a spring..

even the silvering moonlight streams are sunning
as the real new year is ushered in with spring
for living nature knows this cycle by day and night
as did we once before an unbroken time..

on the lit warm cheeks and lips
heads swim up like sunflowers
that gently revivifying kiss recharges and renews and heals
for nurtured life rejuvinates and transforms with itself everything
this the great artists once tenderly knew and unashamedly celebrated..

with stretching dusk the peachened pear tops the vast peacock sheen
as passing strangers connect with eyes less stern more kindly
telepathic excursions sip deeper possibilities
the enlivened senses simmer on the flourishing scents
revelveted the ribboned fields sway emerald multi-coloured swatches
all this and more the natural new year the spring presents..

Armageddon Peace Prize

and how did you feel as you watched
when he was gifted the most rapturous house of commons standing ovation
this t-shirted combat-jeaned nato expansionist minion
for his live-link-delivered darkly-rattled word-salad address snorted
despite reservations did you ask yourself
is this what the fourth reich looks like..

and as our puppeteered leaders and micromanaged newspeakers
proudly provide cover for the azov battalion nazis
now rebranded the staunchest defenders of the rules-based order
and whatever that is supposed to mean you better believe..
yes that searing question might have crossed your startled mind
is this what the fourth reich reads like..

like neocon victoria nuland all pent-up to almost orgasm
while pondering the successful blowing up of nord stream
momentarily confounding the german atlanticists
apparently still suffering from a severe bout of stockholm syndrome
even as their people freeze..
a sad and tragic case for many decades suffered
berlin immediately respond by sending tanks to where..
again..

nordsteam
now consigned as a memory-holed mystery
a mystery only for presstitutes
presstitutes paying closer attention to the existential threat of balloons.

so more ten percents guaranteed for the big guy
so why not blow up zaporizhzhia nuclear plant with himars missiles
what could go wrong
is this what the fourth reich would like
for everything to go wrong
russians ukranians all europeans all as expendable
as those annhialated in the middle east or asia or north africa..
 
so as the appointed cocaine-snorting formerly celebrated penis-pianist 
and his installed gangster regime
now openly kidnap and march the press-ganged older and disabled men
ukranian men
down the most tragic primrose path
dragging them away from their homes to die
as their grandchildren look on terrified
all while the western commentariat strictly maintain their vows of silence
weaponised packets of silence intelligence equipped
you might ask yourself
is this ligatured silence what the fourth reich sounds like..

meanwhile
a murmuration of snake heads
in their windmill-powered private jets landed at davos
they slithered down red carpets
for the world economic forum cabal
hissing into their wine
chortling at globalist deniers
all while preparing for the next drill to go live..

for those basketcases for blofeld
gamed another upcoming event
this time it is to be a surprise blackout
the two after event 201..
for when the web will be..
hacked and taken down by rogue state actors..
with all the merchandise..

so another tabletop exercise that coincidenatlly might go live
so it would be wise to put some cash aside
one more for the seasoned covidians to bang saucepans for
canned by candlelight this time..
more..more..
the sense of belonging infanticised and made so asinine
the dimmer-lit invented rituals to solder the already infatuated melted mind..

and one more time for the city of london
for are they not esteemed experts at world wars
is this what the fourth reich would like
is this whom the fourth reich is for..

whatever flags we see proudly raised outside city halls
it might be wise to perceive them as analogs
analogs for the the skull and crossbones and swastika
exported tanks repainted again now display such potent insignia
another data point never screened on teevee
such absences embed the viewer with facts of make-believe..

first as tragedy only for more
a world where delivered information is inverted then diced
for state social media platforms to upload then thumbs up and like
is this the banality of the fourth reich..

last summer at the glastonbury festival
the young people also cheered for the beamed-in volodymyr
he smirked and twitched by the pyramid stage 
by various stripes the swaying graduates were so effortlessly raised
what perfect scholars to parrot for the succinctly redacted tomorrow
no spiked minsks
no panama papers
no eccentric deals
his mansions in many kingdoms hide
dumped after his people destroyed
he should for nato be awarded the nobel peace prize..

yes perhaps this is the fourth reich
for the usual suspects dress-down sieg heils not strictly required..

Gladly, Thay Provide The Lorn With Such Aquarian Tangibles

the practice nurse sighed..
oh her..yes her..
well if you ask me
she is a complete waste of time..

do not compromise
she tries to grab any opportunity
any opportunity for an appointment
like clockwork she appears here
here every couple of months or so
almost without fail..

she acts
acts
acts as if she really
and i underline really
really needs urgent physical attention
like she really needs a consultation here physically
and not online..
but she does not seems to apprehend or empathise..

as we know though
genuine attention means
means needs attention..as opposed to just wants..
and i also underline needs here
and we must be able to tell the difference
because once we let her through
let her through just once then that is it..

well yes now i can tell
tell that all she really needs is..
..someone to..

......


but that really is it
that really is it..

the practice nurse glanced
then carried on
and she is only one
only one of a whole straggly battalion
they float over here like shy simpering swans
projecting
so entitled
like a royal..

and yes okay..
though i see she is obviously a little lonely and lost and blah
and we all need a hug
but so sorry...we all have to get over that..
all of us..
if she wants my advice..
but she never wants to ... with me..

and are we not in a near depression
a real depression..
is it not tangible
we have been told we must very seriously prioritise now
now more than ever
sadly..

this seems to be like a hobby to her
to her it has become like a thing to do
and we must not enable her..

we must not be..
oh that word oh what is that word now oh..
yes..complicit..
we must not be complicit..

i think she gets it now
because last time i really hinted
subtly nudged her
that she needs to..

..


to do something do something..

i wonder should she try for a place in a day-release psychy..
what i mean is..
oh i know you know what i mean..
if she just cuts herself..just enough..nothing silly..
if she cuts herself down the arm
down
more convincing
she might get lucky..
problem is she is not yet that suicidal..
that normally i would say is a good thing but..
it is sad..

no i never offered that suggestion out loud to her for goodness sake
what do you think i am..
what are you trying to make sound like..
and i would get the sack..
the practice nurse vigorously shook her head no
no of course i would never say that to her
we are only talking shop here
this is between us..

and to be fair
before she was encouraged to leave
i did offer her some biscuits and tea last time
and all while doing the slow bobbing head i know i know thing..

though she never said thanks i am okay with that
we have to develop thick skin
not take things like that personally
i get it
and i get why security always allow her in
they are not doctors..

...

the practice nurse looked up
then she..
then she looked away and down..

then as she turned to walk to the empty staff room
her eyes seemed to mist..
a click was heard after she gently closed the door right behind her..

a few minutes later she was heard softly weeping..
to herself..
it was her tea break..

Selected Rainbow Delayed?

 

selected rainbow delayed
so dapple that timeline
blow a retuning kiss
brushstroke certain fine strings
reverberate scintillate fuse-with thrum
reharmonise feel your angel sigh..

selected rainbow delayed
silver darkened for the bottle-green
grasping at a distant cosmos near
so spin again the sharpened twig
be the cosmogryal whirlpool and be
lift emanant sliver lift..

selected rainbow delayed
ripple in the field of oneness yet
oyster yarn nacre to pearl
cracked matrix bewitch
you the tower of stars made make limpid
pouring ideas to animate and witness..

selected rainbow delayed
lost in words then try the wordless
particle is wave is..and what is
curve the linear light-you so driven
time-flit the mysterious wellspring sheer
wonder on more than the dust down wish..

Source

 
so here is another funny thing..

as we grow older
less vulnerable more
our steamed-on scaly scar tissue
only seals the fermenting inflammation of neatly folded wounds sore
lashing the sorriest with the deepest camouflage
camouflaged and cooked-to-raw for so much longer..

and being so philosophical about all this stuff
the wondrous self being so all-knowing
the heart harrowed is now firmly bookended
and professionally leather-bound..

and all the while holding its pride of place on the coffee table
and for practical reasons primed to be held purposely closed
in parenthesis this takes up so much less space
only to be kept treasured as a block-timed keepsake
fun for triple-locked subterraneans laminated in a fearful safe-space..

despite everything
the foolish may attempt to open up to discover a new page
and risk massive attack from leaf-pressed dust motes spraying out all spry
spry gonzo missile magnets plastering the agitated and enflamed
to reignite the long-dormant combustible 
especially when exposed to unregulated air
with all its anciently-known capable danger..

so treat immediately..
coat affected area with dabs of distilled vampire honey
and to lessen temptation to retaste
hang out in the milling rain to dry..

when sunshine cannot be avoided
with opaque layers of light-reflective film
it will not hurt to also cover the protective sleeve
then cast out with weights in a scythed fishing net
dropped from a cloaked submarine
to then closely monitor with its upside-down perescope..

ensure the bookends are only made of strange hybridised materials
such as cave stones dusk-treated with enteric-coated strechy spider webs
occasionally wash the surrounding and affected vulnerable area
with generous drops of distilled lukewarm ice..

to protect warping
keep you leather-bound in place mobius-looping
and add a sprinkling of dry-roasted frost
and avoid extreme gentle breezes 
and all other sources of harsh warmth
and for further advice consult a certified cardiac spelununker..

if problems persist
download the app
and easily convert your leather-bound
into a feel-so-free feeling-free pdf..

For In All This Aching Beauty..

 

rotating the numb grey kaleidoscope
hues and textures of scraped-up old snow
as liminal as heaps of ash swirls
another year melds and melts
layers and layers of static and stasis overlay
the glinting glowering fractals sharded
offer their spindly morphing branches for perching mocking owls
and how they stare as you seem to sway..

lush hints of emeral jar
wavering beams of unenticing sunlight threaten to only melt and blind and bake
falllen crimson leaves splash their spilt rusted drops
the baleful moon as cold as saturn relates..

in patches angular reeds so stark break through
cracking the icy lake
where water gushes and gulps for oxygen
timorous gasping fish bubble up as if for prayer
blasts of trapped poison steam-release
and float up to seal away the heavens
from the fathomless deep where only oily darkness dwells..

but ovals of smoke rise and spiral and elongate from a different valley distant
are they signals of rescue
or cries for help
or deeply encoded messages for the long-lost but open-hearted traveller
come hither..come hither
there is something here for you
follow the charcoaled trails on sapphire..

follow the charcoaled trails on sapphire..
gently walk past the deer oracles as their onyx eyes gaze upon you
at nightfall the curlicues of smoke plumes will still visibly mark the cobalt night
regard the scent trails entwining falling rain as limpid shadow-light 
your eyes so accustomed to grey so vivid will be the unextinguished lick of flame
so nocturnal you will so easily discern the distant sparks veiled 
pain can still offer ways away
pain can still tilt your world a warmer way..

follow the charcoaled trails on sapphire
and allow the iridescence of the moonlit dew drop necklaces to star-wish for you
and when the dawn rises inhale the bracing and rich petrichor nectar
even the yielding soil and fallen twigs generously teem with purposeful cycles
and you are immersed as part of this so let the embracing ozonic air cleanse you
and wash away your copious tears of salt so draining
that distant birdsong can heal you
that distant birdsong hears you..
for in all this aching beauty
is the you of this 
in all of this..

Hopeful Entanglement

 

a fifth dimensional butterfly flutters its wings
a third dimensional earth ascends..

Best Of..Bitter Boomer Love Songs (Reissued Reissue)

 
of that heavy muskcentric bygone era crows another deep-boiled scrotum turnip
for here breathes the fetid breath of a stellar exhibit zed of zed
an oxygen thief astronaut trolling carbon dioxide
a constant headline fixture of grim rubber-stamped charity benefits..

the blood-shot-eyed quadruple valve charisma bypass superstar
betrays his colonic passage of time
swamp integrated and irrigated with trashed hotel destruction
and gorged and despatched and spat-out flare-pantied fans
discarded memories lie by the venus flytrap-lined highway
his clenched sphincter pupils crack lizard lines
the envy of a draco monarch..

swiss alps-high of a certain nasal mist
snorted 
face filled with enough plastic puss to crazy-pave an indonesian landfill
another boomer gravitar as warm as a raging imploding ingrown caligula
regales the smirking interviewer with his endless tales of pregnant woe
there he sits in front of an empty green-screened recording studio because..

because another reissue of the best of.. is out now..is out now..is out now..
just so you know
for christmas
though not for more-than-casual believers of jesus
though perhaps very wise men might want to gift the returning special baby this
should it seed the idea later on to smash to smithereens
a modern temple of the pharisees
sounds like a plan..

yeah i somewhat regret those days now
the money the excess
all the alpha babe sex
now it all seems so..you know
so hollow..even though i know many viewers might be impressed..
he winked at the camera..
call it guerrilla marketing
or call it something else..

do i sound ungrateful
try walking in my shoes
they always expected so much of me
so gratuitous..
did i mention that my best of..reissued reissue is out this week..
oh yeah it is out this week..

i sometimes wonder if i had led an ordinary life
whatever that is..
things might have been so much easier
my assistants harassed for backstage passes
to hound me for autographs
extensions of my flesh
youknowwhoreimean..
does that make sense..

but please do not misunderstand me
though i could mention doors of stables bolting
or something like that..
metaphors for horses methinks..

sometimes i wish i never met all those..
what can i say
i was a babe-magnet
not boasting..still am..
in retrospect and we have to ask
did they enhance me as an artist
we have to ask..

that said i still managed to write some great and fabulous songs
they are on my best of..the reissued reissue out in time for christmas..
you could see it as a spiritual thing if that helps..

yeah so the reissued reissue best of..is out for christmas..
has new and deeper sleeve notes
and a previously unreleased acoustic version of deep-fried egyptian pharoah..

curled up on the bed watching tv
an elegant woman of a certain vintage..
flinches..
she instinctively stares across at a faded photograph of her younger self
the picture encased in a pretty little silver frame
nestles with others on the dresser by the nightstand..

she is caressed by the star in the aftershow party he invited her to
how could she forget
there she offers him the most dazzling sweet smile
obviously besotted she gazes up at his narrower eyes..

she reaches for the frame and considers pulling out the photograph
with a rueful smile she shakes her head
what did i see in him..
yeah i know..
and what did i learn..

she hears a door click open
her adult son strolls into the kitchen
and yes from a certain angle..

she gazes again at the photograph
no..still no regrets..
though you fool..you will never know..
she places the photo frame in a box
she switches to another channel..

no my collection of rare cars feels more like a burden
you could call it the zen art of investments
protecting my portfolio is a full-time job
i have to fork out the coin for three full-time accountants
see what i mean..

yeah so my best of..reissue is out now
at the end of the day it is all about love
thank goodness i still have that
despite everything i still love my fans..
oh and did i mention..

..her son sporting the most silly beaming smile siddles up to her
his hands playfully hidden behind his back..

then he flourishes the most beautiful bunch of irises
wafting the air with the most delicate of scents..
happy birthday mum..
love you so much..

they hug
generating the silence so warm
the bond unbreakable..

Lifted Concrete

 

approaching that reality
with comfort and clarity
revealed the mystery deepens
uplifting this concretised night living dream
in the truth is the knowing
beyond interpretive imagination overflowing
like the whispered secrets shared from seashells
receive through waves of silence
knowledge experienced and not mere belief..