Monday 26 May 2014

1 New Poem

A Thought On Divorcing

Illuminous echoes in pale shiver of time lost to
headlights and Old Milwaukee cases, hurried
youth wasted on our pale, pink warmed flesh.

Take me to the the stark of rivers calm,
depths of sputtering ocean well, and lock
our fingers as Abrahamic glassware.

Give us something to cling to in darkly
tremorous modern ages, our clacking telegraphs
still pained in wire crosses: a permanent condition.

Saturday 24 May 2014

1 New Poem

Matched Pairs

The buildings' flames freeze in tourists' Medusa
gaze, turpentine scent in choke
of thousand Cinderellas throwing flood lights
out in four-four time.

The trestle cut of mid-noon dress flappings,
ink quill and water strain at once;
a dance across midnight's pitch would
be coming for us in fantasy.

The thing wedge-edge of cooling conversation,
mewling bonfire crackle through a Sutton-like
dusk; only the splintered tree stumps to talk with,
only the trenchant flesh wounds to trace.

Tuesday 20 May 2014

2 New Poems

A Charming Char

The flash-flicker you see from yards afar,
lights meld in shotgun splay, blister case
and fine crystal shape, wishing to join in
its watery sunset smokes.

Oh, you never did, in finger-shapes cool as
Arctic storm, hesitant embraces our only reward.

Asleep in the midday's sun spatter, black shoe leather
bothered in half-glint beneath the treetops' green thrushes
there is a sending of new day's fire signal, hoping
it would be returned to times in naive youth,

when you longed to be lit aflame for someone else's
warmth and life's smouldered kindling.

Slipshod Anchors

Water clung to speckled coat, the fish skin I grew
in years and years ago, scale and gill build plans,
to keep in swimming safe.

Damp, we don't think of ourselves ten years from today,
the same attractions half-coloured from pastel memory,
we realize the concrete of place names.

Thursday 15 May 2014

1 New Poem

Clearing Airs

A half-kilometre of pounded pavement between
a set of red light sangria glasses and home,
things were clearer than they had before been:
airs wet soak-sop, knitted blanket cotton,
clinging to lung in blanked stench of tar smoke.

Thinking it over in the midnight afterglow
of CityTV softcore pornography and off-brand headache
cures, you were right in saying it all so soon,
right in painting ourselves as separate portraits,
and right in untamed rose shade grasps at comity.

But, in the humid flop-sweat of jungled July,
how wrong I wished you had been.

Wednesday 14 May 2014

2 New Poems

Birthday Wine
Heavy-lidded, waves on the water dark,
breaking in ink spills, proximate
incantations.

Up and down in matron's hair ribbons,
apron strings meeting the steak knife fate
intended.

One arm of blinding ivory, in rebirth thrust,
jabs the night air with charm of flour
jacks.

Memories of little green, scented smoke and hi-fi tone,
the trace lips kept clasped all years past,
present;

come in, come in, you were expected.

 
Disappearing Acts

Drawing creases of new bones, bedded alone,
in hope to put someone between them.

Closely tracked each serpentine swallow,
each shade and colour of sustenance, for the lowest.

Clean slates that bathroom mirrors are, they show
how little and how far in form, and I am in

strange worship of each new line, each new looseness.

Monday 5 May 2014

1 New Poem

Drinking At House Parties

When the evening shatters and the
stars appear, dotting their pointillist
refusal in the grease-paint cloak
of airless expanse, narrow and
fading as long-drawn hopes,

And you lose yourself in hasty strums of
bluesmen's bluster, pungent pitter-patter
of Blackberry keys and notifier chimes,
spare there some little piece for me, as

I get there too in rum glass rings,
stains in dead oak tabletop,
criss-crossed water-kisses on granite.