Once Bitten

we were enslaved

by your petty regulations

once bitten

twice shy

was a callous methodology

simply operant conditioning

with a practised brutal flourish

spare the rod and spoil the brat

was the dullard ideology

visited on your youth and mine

I saw the dust behind your eyes

you were old beyond your years

something inside you

had already died

every mother’s child

has a thousand teachers

and I was an early receiver

of your twisted ideation

tuned to your negative acuity

I learned to tread lightly

whenever you were around

Dew Drops

she went about her business

with kindness and good grace

and where she trod

little miracles sparkled

as morning dew drops

reflecting the dawning sun

like tiny prisms

diffracting and recombining

into a million rainbows

which lit the hearts

of whoever fell within

the spectrum of her love

everyone who loved her

carries that light still

.

Orpheus

you are not Orpheus

you can save no-one

you are not Christ

you shall not rise again

everybody dies

there are no exceptions

you can’t cheat death

we must live with that

once you’re gone

you can’t come back

it’s a law of nature

you can’t fight it

loss is the price we pay

for the love we share

everybody dies

and that knowledge

costs us dear

* image: Hades and Persephone listen to Orpheus’ song in the Underworld.

5132: H. Bissen, 1798 – 1868.

Machiavellian

it’s the strangers you know

that generate the most heat

those that have your confidence

are the most likely to betray you

you held my gaze a little too long

I suspect you’ve made a bad call

the arsehole of humanity

is a regular garden of eden

for the hungry devotees

of the cockroach god

go give your face a wash

you have blood on your chin

rearrange your killing stones

we’re in for heavy weather

you pledged your solidarity

with a murderous mechanism

you tried to steal my name

so you could write it in the gutter

.

Ocean Child

ocean child

hear my voice

dry your tears

you have no choice

you’re still alive

you should rejoice

reach for me

it is allowed

don’t be afraid

to show me how

for I am here

at least for now

Egg N Chips

we had egg and chips

and we were grateful

the children in Africa

had nothing at all

we dragged the low end

because we were brassic

when your stomach is empty

it’s hard to stand tall

the times sure were tough

but the people were tougher

when troubles are shared

they can suddenly seem small

Necropolis

I hate the grim necropolis

that has claimed your bones

there’s nothing here but charnel

and the memories of ghosts

I cannot leave you here

cold and all alone

so meet me in the morning

when the sunlight splits the sky

and we shall dance

in pastures green

like a pair of butterflies

.

Mob

they’re out to get me

the gossip mongers

and their lynching crew

I killed two birds

with only one stone

they called me sorcerer

I said I was just lucky

they said I was too lucky

and pointed to my women

they said I’d cast a spell

to bind them to me

and that I was father

to every bastard child

in their bastard town

I said I wished I was

for then I’d have an army

to always stand right by me

because I could not deny

my own flesh and blood

and they would know

their father’s love

instead of the hatred

of the rumour peddlers

and the vicious mob

.

A Thousand Suns

back in the day

we had idiot sanctuaries

moored offshore

on the emerald ocean

where fat cats

would call the shots

for the man

who called the shots

before the last nations fell

the top banana

sat on a gilded throne

while continental flunkies

manned his 24 hour hotline

he had a legal mandate

to commit the perfect crime

no-one ever saw him coming

but everybody knew

from his bloody footprints

exactly where he had been

he was the master of ceremonies

for the great false dawn

they say that it shone brighter

than a thousand suns

.

Dandelion

she always returned affection

she said she felt obliged

I told her she was easy

and she did not reply

.

Vampires

there’s a niche

for every parasite

within the human zoo

where there’s pain

there is also gain

in a bitter economy

where one man’s sorrow

might be the cause

of another’s rejoicing

.

Inca

don’t tell me

how bad it is

I already know

it’s suicide season

and I’m all out of bullets

but geared up for excess

bicarbonate of coca

the ancient inca curse

smother me with candy kisses

take this poor boy home

it’s the last big deal

coughing up rocks

and surfing on air

but it’s all good

at twice the price

they’re shanking junkies

down in the park

bloody lubricant

for a vicious mechanism

those black market forces

can be so exacting

but my hands are clean

I’m just a punter

looking for fun

.