lies

 got banged up         for telling porkies                wasn’t the first time           won’t be the last             lies are social lubrication             truth is a pill       that’s hard to swallow       lies are a common human currency            truth is a jewel beyond comparison                       so rare that no-one sees it    if it stares them in the face           I’m saving mine for maximum impact                      it’s my secret weapon          my get out of jail free card                         the final resort         when lies won’t suffice

sister midnight

 she sees meat          where otherwise serpents shine  she carves deep      her bloody policy             seeks only to divide            I knew her long ago     in the once upon a time    but we were never friends            and she’s no kin of mine               here comes the night         the night that bears her name                   this bed of nails was a gift of design she said our wounds would keep us honest                       but that was just  a lie        she left  her mark on me                      and taught me not to promise        things I can’t  deny she came to me a refugee       there was some truth behind her lies           she knew I was a thief        but I never picked her pockets                       and she never asked me why                      but we shared a century of torments                       under midnight skies

purple hearts

 you’ve been busted comrade                  we know where you sleep      we have this place surrounded                        your delusional thinking                will not go unpunished             you are not immaculate                        you are just criminal          and you have no friends                   you shall face the scaffold         totally alone

some say that genius         is an affliction of the mind   that torment inspires beauty       and the hand of god  has blessed the afflicted                with his loving touch                   but they’re yanking your chain              madness is a lesion of the heart              a slashing torment of the soul                 and no-one hands out purple hearts     for self inflicted wounds

Gethsemane

 are you one of the beautiful people?   

were you provided the opportunity to shine?

you need a friend who can hold you up           

I know where you can cut a new deal

but you gotta get righteous

buy the t-shirt

and tread the path

that leads to glory

you’ll find new friends

among old enemies

making deals

in public lavatories

coz loaves and fishes

don’t mean shit

when your pockets are empty

and you’re dying for a fix

Abercorn Beach

 did you get some peace   when peace was offered?   or is your hatred still a sacred cow?    did you stick to your guns   is that a virtue?   yes   I know the words    but I won’t sing along

anger is stupid   and stupidity kills    so dig me a hole   right next to yours    I’m no genius    neither are you   but I can see   that victory is impossible   in a war between friends

there is only losing    in your philosophy    the final blow   will leave us both morbid   and stranded on the shingles    with memories of drowning boys    who were taken away early   by the ebb of a turning tide