the hands that stilled time
of all the hands that have worn the door
or curved the footfall steps
we know you only by what you have taken
by degrees these hardly times away
having shone the rivet and the rail
or replaced the bronze patina with a glow
and now in the repose of a scolded death
that once was eased away by prayer
remember all the hands that once prayed here
as we do now upon seeing just one last tinge
of verdigris under the nail of a hand
that stilled time and still does still
the sea swimmer
to dive into that wave
not the next one
but this one now
to gasp at the grasp
of a life resurfaced
seething in angor animi
ashore being assuredly
as absurd as this sea is
home to that thought
an adventure boys
we boys crawled the crawling boards
under the railway over the viaduct
watched the sound of the steam trains
ripple the boards in their vast approaching
what a drop there is from the main pillar
and how fast the river flows beneath us
as fast as the fleet adventure boys
on the run from time itself
just there you see
to walk childhood’s fields again
with the sun’s eyes upon the grasses
a tear lodged yet long in eye
and but not one day passes
when i do not think of you my son
at the spring of a summer’s sky
reflected cool in my roving eye
the sweet waters slowly running
and the gingham bright young lasses
you bee the heather’s lizard sun
on secret newt bricks damply lazing
the winged heels of youth in flight
down all the ventured turns of days
spent under a blazing look you why
don’t we this or don’t we that
and why not this and not this that
sped on lust all the pollen days away
chests full of sloe’s lovely molasses
we ran and knelt the field’s empire throne
the curtained dusk in baulk at asking
for no more can we stretch this day
or live even just one more little minute
be satiated here now upon these dreams
for sweet dreams will never limit how
this summer solstice sweetly trifle
spooned down on cool sheets basking
under a slow moon’s tender asking
there you see
just there you see
that’s where we’ve been
and where we’ve been we’ve done it
febrile politics
febrile politics
someone comes forward to say
they were the person who didn’t do anything
now is anything as damning as nothing
hands up who didn’t do nothing
not that nothing
the other nothing
what’s that thing about double negative
not that one the other one too
turning off
the life support
of a life that wasn’t there
giving breath
to death to say
come my cyriad
cwtch down here
and there
i’ve written me a shiver
for that is all you are now
my love
febrile politics
febrile politics
someone comes forward to say
they were the person who didn’t do anything
now is anything as damning as nothing
hands up who didn’t do nothing
not that nothing
the other nothing
what’s that thing about double negative
not that one the other one too
