Mission after failed mission of overtightened shirt cloth incomparable to the air-brushing wizardry of a celebrity book of spells; calorie-counted celebrity inspiration, feeling the burn; “one more minute, don’t forget to stretch and warm down”.

A plastic-propped peep into a better life where everyone is shiny and the right machine can make you God’s own barista without even having to watch the accompanying DVD box set.

All on the never never. ’til the never becomes the now.

In a surge of nature versus big business our crude seas wash over us in an endless tide of promises and slicked birds who drown in the failures of our present way of life.

In the background; an urgent pitch to call now and pay nothing for twelve months. A lesson unlearned.

In the foreground; stands a poet working out the best way to perform the Heimlich maneuver on a dog whilst he waits for his toast to turn tan.

So this is what we’ve become.

Skip child. Skip whilst you can,
before the claws of adulthood
drag you from your innocence.
Wave your rose like the wand of an evil fairy
as you wish, and poke the poetry man
so he loses his place and the listeners
shuffle awkwardly to adjust themselves on the
wooden seats. In two blinks and soon after
the petals drop you will be too full of rules to
rush up and down and giggle without
a flicker of conscience.

Guide me, tell me what the sickness is.
Is your stare the look of mortal sin,
that richter grin on your clammy skin?
Tell me, is that the look of tempted fate,
the fatal conclusion of the all too late?
Tell me, can I do something, can I sooth
the thing that eats your heart, can I kill the
demons on your behalf?
We were so good together, we fought the
world and nothing could beat us, we
were the ones they said would last,
we were the ones who set the pace,
we were the ones who’d win the race.
Tell me, are you still in there?
Did we get caught by the snare of
the evil vixen, warmed up witch with a
bloody mixer?
Is the person I met so long ago
breathing the breath of the living
death or do you still flicker your
fires behind those glassy eyes?

Show me, show me something to give
some hope.

Let me know that you’re not
lost, that the bridge too far has not been
crossed. We were so good together, we fought them
all, the biggest problems, we led the way
and the others followed, we were the ones
with the bright tomorrow.
Have you left me? Are you gone forever?
Hand in hand with your smokey satan?
Did the odds beat you, have you lost the
game? Will things ever be the same?
We were so good together, we fought the world
and nothing could beat us, we were the ones
they said would last but the flames and spoon
were just too fast, you poked the hole
but they set the pace, led you to the call
of the inner space.
The deceitful warmth of its other world womb
hides the fact it’s your living tomb; we’ll
pull the works from your skinny limbs,
pump in life and earthly things,
but the call of the siren’s song goes on
and carries your mind to the world beyond.
A place where nether creatures fly
where shaking needle wielders die
and sparks of love, of happy days
are wiped away by their wicked ways.
You’re set adrift on darkened water
because you chose to kiss the devil’s daughter.

Lust on love that never comes,
unborn daughters,
the absent sons;
unwon races, missed-out chance;
to taste or not a true romance.

Break your bones,
destroy your feet;
tread the boards,
taste deceit;
the choice is yours,
good or bad you pick the course.

Blame your mother,
blame your dad.
Tell the jury you was mad.
Beg for mercy, curse your luck.
Never earn an honest buck.

Then, on Sunday: pray, confess,
promise priests you’ll Do Your Best,
until on Monday’s daily grind
you’ll put your morals out of mind.

Look within for all you do.
Would you want this done to you?
Is it wrong or is it right,
or is it just you’re out of sight?
Do you do it because you can?
Does it help your fellow man?
Given choice of wrong or right
what will you be choosing now, tonight?

Anna skulled a bottle of vodka,
and it nearly killed her.
Drank it fast for kicks out of class
punched a nurse in casualty,
so hardcore,
but it didn’t last.

BP 20 over 30
heart beat less than 40
and it’s a long long road to recovery,
drips and drabs and skulduggery,
kids lying to dads,
mums shouting like buggery.
The bouncers were scared of her dad,
stepped back from his face, so mad,
he shouted at the girls in the corner
looked daggers at the kid from the party
and we waited and waited for the men
in the green uniforms and blue lighting.

Anna skulled a bottle of vodka,
and it nearly killed her.
Drank it fast for kicks out of class
punched a nurse in casualty,
so hardcore,
but it didn’t last.

The tubes are loaded,
with potassium drips and
they’re burning.
Hallucinations of faces and wolves,
ripping out the tubes
but my dad’s holding down my shoulders.
Shouting “Amy get Lauren, get Lauren”.

I don’t know what day it is or what planet.

Anna skulled a bottle of vodka,
and it nearly killed her.
Drank it fast for kicks out of class
punched a nurse in casualty,
so hardcore,
but it didn’t last.

Marching men who sound out songs
and epithets like the “happy throng”
the “band of brothers” and “alpha force”
ignore the facts as a matter of course
that war is bad and people die
and tragedy is what makes us cry
not actor’s looks or the jutting chins
of handsome heroes with perfect grins.

I’m hidden,
you try hard,
suppress me.
oppress me,
push me down
the room spins
and I’m here
and I’m hard,
so  hard.

I’m fun,
I’m nasty,
I make faces at men
sing songs,
dance on tables
kiss boys
hint about toys.

Pumpkin coaches
have got nothing on me
I’m the funest person
you’ll ever see
loud and lary
I’m quite scary.

But I’m hidden,
so hidden,
quietened,
dimmed,
dimiinshed,
extinguished
for the best
gone until the next
night out
and I return with a shout
and a song
and a dance
and a text, take a chance.

I’m hidden, you fool,
hidden you,
hidden you.