always  always be ready for when trouble
comes knocking on your door with a flayed knuckle
for trouble always has a bare visage to make you buckle
it always has the patience of an hour glass and its sand
thus, you must needs learn how to endure and stand
against troubled winds in a sometimes irksome world

when you're bigger
are you any bigger, really
perhaps you're just the trigger
of an assortment of events
when by others you're called small
are you in truth really small
perhaps you like playing the victim
with what lens do you look at things
with what misgivings do you struggle
against all the things that in you huddle
isn't it time to dump it all in that puddle
now that the spotlight is on your fuddle
somewhere within sight of your experiences
then walk forward in keeping with your destiny

backdrop
animated face
wandering eyes
the word lay on his tongue
              naked
as all lies are
and truths too betimes

the howling wind held its breath
the eclipse let drip a few mysteries
the ocean floor stirred like a cauldron
and i heard the faint whizz of a life gone

my heart beat in rhythm to my desires
my lips trembled before the word leapt out
inside i was a freshly-laid egg waiting to be picked
and abroad the wind whispered its open secrets

i knew then what lay deep in my heart of hearts
a sacred word spoken countless times but always new
i knew also that i was a child of new times and concerns
and that i was love's foot soldier because you said so

he parted the flimsy curtain
and saw her petite figure flee
his impoverished life in some glee
his muscle and brawn weren't enough
and everything was suddenly so tough
as he contemplated the cold evenings ahead
and the silent moments without her infectious laughter
he knew without doubt that nothing would ever be softer
than her measured walk out of his life and yet have such wrath
that morning was a morning of sorrowful discoveries and pain
the flap of her jacket as she walked up the incline to the open road
was like a metaphorical but macabre shaking of the dust that he was
forgotten now but abandoned a long time ago as they both knew
it took a morning such as this one to put a seal to what once was
for so long, so far way and long ago in another country and another time
when he mattered and was still the prize she sought for waiting so long

you flaunt your glad rags
and taunt me for my shreds
you're a human rainbow
in a riot of colour and style
your shoes are from italy
a rich cobbler's work in genoa
your floral tie is pure chinese
with dainty designs and rich feel
you still speak well of pepsodent
and the wonders of fresh breath
compared to you and your riches
i'm an imitation human being
eating fruit and raw vegetables
while you wax lyrical on lasagna
chilli con carne and and tequila
at some up-market restaurant
in the leafy part of town
where your fleet of cars is a marvel
compared to my lowly fare your affluence
is almost banal in its carefree loudness
you've never worn broken shoes ever
or had a toe peep out of smelly socks
and you've never gone without food
surfeit is your other name, and everything
is a gas; your wild parties are legendary
i see all this from my hole in the ground
safe in the stench of the bad characters
that loiter and swagger in my world
blessed are the rich and famous of our times
for they shall only discover their poverty
when the party is over and it's time to go home

out of bouts of manic depression
into whirlwind ego trips