Skip to content

Month: May 2018

At Swartmodder – I

At Swartmodder – I

Moon shining down
Upon a lunar landscape
Of reds and browns and pinks and blacks and greys and greens
Shimmering in the heat
Of a thousand ovens

Quiver trees stand guard
Over vast emptinesses
Of sand and rock
Hot, burning my hands
As I stoop and touch their barrenness,
Their wildness and their loneliness

I feel as if I am alone
With this landscape
Nothing exists but us
Both blown by the same hot winds
Both scorched by the same hot sun
Is there any reality but ours?

15/02/1991

Leave a Comment

Your Tears

Your Tears

Your tears, like silver raindrops fell
Silent, unchecked, unstoppable.
You think they are a sign of weakness
But they are not.
I sat there and saw you cry,
Saw the child within the woman
And the beauty deep inside.
You have a gift, my friend,
That has not been given to many.
You feel, you care, you love.
You see the mooi in everything
That is a precious thing you have,
Do not lose it or hide it deep within you,
Where no-one can see it
But let it grow with you.
This world has need of that
And of you.

17/01/1990

Leave a Comment

Slow silent flows the river

Slow silent flows the river

Slow silent flows the river
Past willow, rush and grass
Mountain born
Snow fed
Aged now
Silt laden
Meandering, turgid
Giving of its being
As it passes
Heading onwards
Towards an ancient mixing
With wide Atlantic

06/09/2000

Leave a Comment

When the world stops

When the world stops

The coffee cup grows cold slowly in my hand
Whilst I, distracted, think on you.
Then the world surrounding me
Stops
And I lose myself in fading remembrances
My heart is warmed
And I am slowly lifted
Out of the darkness
That I have built around me
Since you left.
And when I turn back to reality
I know you are with me
Within
And I am whole.

13/07/1990

Leave a Comment

Come the day

Come the day

It's ten to six in the morning
A cold, cold morning
Travel through the haze
Of half sleep
Returning to hateful wakefulness
And with it
Another day
Maps itself out
In full bloody detail
Before me

Roll off the bed
Hit the floor
Trying to wake up
Failing
Eyelids glued together
Won't come unstuck
A thousand deserts
In my mouth
Stumble to the bathroom
To shave
If I don't cut my throat first
By mistake

Brush my teeth
Up, down
Up, down
Brush
Not head

That fuzzy thing in the mirror
Is that me?
Hell, I look rabid
Maybe I am
I feel it

Dress
In what?
Something from the heap
On the floor
Something clean
Well
At least something
That doesn't smell too bad

Breakfast
Something floating
In my bowl
Oh, it's cornflakes
I think
It's so full of iron
I could rust

Go to work
Car won't start
Kick the damn thing
Sit behind the wheel
Hitting my head
On its hard rim
Start
For fuck sakes, start!

Sit behind my desk
All day
Papers pass before my eyes
Unread
Unheeded
Unwanted
Oh please let me die!

Glance at the clock
Ten more minutes
Until parole time
A bloated blurry body
Dumps more papers on my desk
'These are important' it bleats
As I try not to kill them

Finally I am finished
It is dark outside
I sit in the car praying
To the gods of starter motors
Cough, cough, whirr, BANG!
Well I guess that counts as starting
Shit! The fuel light is on

Get home, open the door
What should I eat
Whatever is in the fridge
Whatever isn't green and furry
Should I cook it?
No why bother

Sit down
In front of the TV
A talking head is asking
Whether I have had an accident at work
Hell
My whole being is an accident
Can I get compensation?

Turn the taps
Of an arthritic shower
Waiting for the water
To go from freezing
To almost lukewarm
Now where's the soap

It is way past midnight
As I hit the bed
With a sickening thump
Of head on pillow
Crawl under the sheet
And pull it tight
And hope
The nightmares don't come again

Repeat...

18/09/2000

Leave a Comment