-
It is not what it is
What is this cynical acceptanceOf injusticeof discrimnationof iniquityof downright wrong?Powerlessness? Complacency? World weariness?I’m all right, Jackness?Question. Challenge. Confront.It is not what it is.It does not have to be what it is.~n.b. “Music is the weapon” (Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti), or at least, not the least of them. CLP 24/11/2025 →
-
on time
I’ve pondered the matter of lifeLimited as it must beIs there life on Saturn’s moons?How would we know?Evidence of life this far outComes not from twitching organismsNot from a pulseNo morse like messageG, A, F (low), F (high), CIt comes from the decaying remainsA trail of decompositionEmitted from the arse of EnceladusA constant outpouring of →
-
on memory
you can’t hold everything in your headbit by bit it fadesleaving flint-like fragmentssharp, shiny, hardwhich are sparked by placessongs, photographs, othersa cricket ground by a churcha roadsignthe name of a villagea street namea pub now turned to flatsa make of cara turn of phrasea nicknamea make of cheesea punk band formed by a pair of →
-
on time
we’re saying good-bye todaya friend made through cricketknown for how he bowledbent back, arm whipped roundlike a butterfly swimming strokethick mop of black hairswinging across his faceduring the unusual nature of his deliveryoff the wrong foot, it’s saidface looking down at the pitchas the ball left his handfrom his flurry of arms and legsall too →
-
on Earth
by force of armsthey rose above otherscleared the forestsdrained the fensenclosed the landtilled the soilharvested graintamed and propagated the freehunted down the wildroamed the planetcapitalised slaverywiped the surface for economyoceans became their sewerthe air filled with machineryevery inch of land fencedmarked out on mapsdefined their own legalityuntil their children turnedquestioned historywanted more than bread and →
-
on loss
we burble onfrom day to dayuntil the momentwhen nothing more is heardso suddenlyan innings endsa surprise to allnot least the departed batsmanno calling him backhis innings has been concludedscored by a double chevron in the bookhow out stated bluntlywhether caught, stumped, bowledrun out, hit wicketwe are all timed outeventuallythe sequence of runs marked downsketches out →
-
in Memphis (2022) / on Ukraine
We’re at a bus stopOn Elvis Presley BoulevardWe’ve been to checkThe King’s still deadAnd waiting thereIn Tennessee’s afternoon heatWe talk of EuropeWhat we’ve shared of itThe moral question?For a young Polish man from EnglandOn holiday with his fatherThere is no doubtI’d be going home to fightWith no thought of checking outHeroic resistanceRemember The AlamoThe Red →
-
on Thursday
OvercastSome light rain pushed through by the cool north-easterlyTraffic moderate with the schools still offShe sat on the bus stop bench under the shelterTidy raincoat, hat and shopping bagWaiting for the bus to the cityLeads for her two patient, slightly heavy, dogs in her handThen she just rolled off the bench to her rightClump! Onto →
-
on August
Copper foils collect on the outfieldStubborn tufts of grass repay enthusiastic fielders with grazesThe cricketers’ whites are stained by streaks of blood, turf and dustOnce welcome cooling breezes of July have revertedTo deliver East Anglia’s usual desiccating chillPlayers debate whether to wear two shirts, or a sweaterAt home the shower temperature has been turned up →
Journey of Words 