It's not a Banksy
it's a diversion sign
put there by the road crew
because that's what the road crew do.

Now what?
a portaloo at Waterloo
Napoleon on the throne
the Queen is in the stables
and Charlie's on the phone.

I miss the chicken shack
the giant in the beanie hat
the woodentops and postman pat,
I really miss that chit and chat
with the giant in the beanie hat
eating chicken in the chicken shack
not that much the woodentops or
postman pat
which surprises me no end.

She had a crush on
Hogarth with his smock on
and William drinking Holsten
because we know there's always one.

She flashed her eyes
he painted stars on
ceilings in the local bars

and Paris, in the gardens,
young men with their hard-ons
he painted what he saw.

and everybody knows that
Shakespeare's at the 'Rose'
closely followed by a bear
which isn't drinking
Holsten.

How things used to be when we laughed at stuff and smiled for free,
we used to walk on air and now they want to charge us if we think of walking there.

do you think things are better today?

pay, pay and pay even more the minute you walk out of and close the house door,
we'll be paying off Covid for years and yet we never asked for it, never ordered it, but someone delivered it and now we are stuck with it,
and the internet hauls everyone in,

seemingly
Doctors who double as plumbers and can tell where your arteries are blocked and
friend requests from stunning little numbers who have obviously got all their lines crossed,

so it's
second-hand, cheap and cheerful and after a year full of tragedy
that'll suit me just fine.

But when it all looks hopeless
and the pain seems endless
you
are never friendless
you
only think that you are.

Mind in neutral
body at rest,
waiting to go to sleep
and that's
when the dreams are the best.

there's a twitch in my toe
and do you think it will go?
will it buggery,
no dreams for me
until it does.

That Holy Joe
telling me
what he thinks
I should know,
well
here's what I think
he should know,
he should go
and take a flying jump.

There's a parable
in the bible
or is it
just a story
in the book?

Look and see
and
what will be
has been done,

the parable,
the son of man turning
water into wine
or
was that a miracle?

I am,
unrepentant in Upminster
which is what they are
in Westminster

all must be well.

Is it safe now?

To me,
because me mean a lot to me,
it's the only me I've got.

Although
it has been said,
that I need my head examining,
like
someone put a spanner in the works,
but as long as everything works
they can leave my head alone.

And it's almost
Christmas,
time for
baby Jesus
babybel cheeses,
mince pies and egg nog
and that's just for breakfast

a pity Christmas day doesn't last for longer than four cases of Strongbow, but I know it doesn't.