brief encounters

at a glance a pumpkin is a prawn tail or a chinese dragon

and a black and white picture reveals nothing,

red dirt is red blood and dust and soot and grime.

the fool

the window sighs the last of the rooms heat,

sifting out to melt the sleet,

stealing a breath to warm the street,

crawling out from under my sheet.

My frozen toes my dull numb feet.

Each leaden wave of cold hard breath

tumbling like cake crumbs

past from lung to lip and mind and heart.

each billowed breath hotly numbs

every thought tumbling in my head

every step tumbling down my path

stumbling and rotten, so goes my part.

rib

fingers dig into ribs

scratch out the last flecks

only to be picked

from perfect white teeth

and politely folded in a napkin

round

As split wood falls onto split wood,

As pebbles roll over rock,

I let myself go into freefall,

knowing that you'll let me off...

As water dives deep and hides

Drowning itself in regret.

I will chase my own tail full circle,

And swallow hard my doe eyed neglect.

clot

You fill my blood with circles like rain falling on a lake,

sadly you are spreading from my heart into my head.

A warm flood of the senses, softening each thought,

a warmth that grinds my bones into ash and chalk.

The blood and bone and chalk dust it is forming a cement,

this love is building something, this love and my lament.

As love pours down from above and rises round your feet,

thick red rain which clots the drains, this rain will flood the street.

As you rattle the bars of my ribcage,

trying to escape your fate.

Remember my love is your keeper ,

your escape is in turning to hate.

Pedestal

Weaving through crowds of bone and ash

You pour through the crack you drip from the tap

You stretch me thin like drum skin

Leaving me too far stretched to stave attack

In the coloured words and fragrance

Your masquerade on ice

Fragile beauty splinters

like incense smoke in light

You lead me out and push me

Headlong, Forlorn, Uptight.

31/12/2009

Valorise this low ache, which forgoes all treatment

choosing to dwell in isolation; deep and dank

dragged beneath the keel, then cast out to the pavement

pinned beneath your heel, our shallow hearts both sank

I believed you could slow the clouds this night

whose collision concludes the days last fight

you held the cushion to my mouth and nose

the clouds conspired to drown the daylight

as you peered down to see the last twitch of my toes

no emblazoned glory in this days last throws