Pushing Warm Mushy Peas Around My Plate
[i]
my goldfish swam
on its back for 3 days
before finally snuffing it
euthanasia just seemed
inappropriate for animal
that lives in a bowl
with a 10 second memory
[ii]
he recalled stories
from a different era
where men fought
for their beliefs,
the child on his knee
enthralled by the tales
of war and adventure,
soothed by the scent
of tobacco & spearmint,
closed his eyes slowly
[iii]
they laughed at first
“of course you know”
but it was failing
little by little – degrading,
she read an article
five signs of dementia,
the fog lifted around
midday, and it rained
all through the afternoon
and into the night
[iv]
when the highlight
of my week is a hot
cooked meal at Morrisons,
God you have my permission
to pull the curtain down
end this morbid show
and I’ll count myself lucky
Globalisation
these are our idols
American dolls
legs-spread wide
in a grainy sex-tape
kick starting a career
what of little Keera
sat on a toilet
her eyes run
blood seeping down
a painted face
what of her perfume line
or modelling job
or autobiography?
6000km away
the doll stumbles out
of a fine dining eatery
into the streets
of Manhatten
as Keera’s blood dries
on the lip of a toilet
neither of them
any the wiser
Beautiful!! :-)
These are brilliant. I loved the first stanza about the goldfish. That second poem is bang on. Harsh realities that you haven’t candy coated. Excellent work, Michael
My like was entirely directed at Globalisation. Not that the other poems weren’t grand, that one just took the cake.