Were you given a star at school for good work?
a smiley face, very good or well done was a perk
I took all of these smiley faces into my soul
guaranteed for life to sustain my future role

Remember how art caught you out - I made a mess
and yet disaster was suddenly made good - more or less
now, woodwork led me to a great cutting edge
being allowed to take home my work was a privilege

metalwork taught me that flux was softer than butter
the words that arose within me - if only I could utter
mathematics made me figure things out - nothing I would lack
but when the master saw my red socks - he said: 'Get to the back.'

Then there was English - the best language to swear in,
such great enlightenment and depth will never come again

O' Casey had been told where the meeting was
senior members of the IRA would attend
he didn't know and thought that MI6 would be there
duped into assassination was a dangerous masterstroke
others knew that he was dissatisfied with the hierarchy
so if it transpired, he would be a likely target
If the real resaon was found, they would never forget
the old mainland action would be re-ignited
and the Brits cleverness found to be short-sighted
the peace process was a sham, arms locked away
Adams and McGuinness in suits, smug faces
while they postulated and mixed in high places
'You realize what were doing?' The ***** said
'Rather, let them carry on with their empty head.'

There was not a lot to worry about so
nothing could be held up without it being sold
Faberge' brushed shoulders with art deco pieces
money paid guaranteed immediate releases

The reps had phones to their ears getting the nod
there was a clown's outfit which was rather odd
because the clown was still inside - did the body come too?
or was it to be stripped naked like me and you?

We have lost everything - it's all in the room
there was a smile from a man leaning on a broom
I want my sofa back, my favourite armchair
the bed we made love in where you lay bare

Even your smile was for sale, admired from afar
golf clubs, personal effects, my teeth in a jar

God gave out parts to play - so they say
that there has to be a lover, a villian and a mother
someone moaning, groaning and lost out to another
It was time, the curtain rose - never to fall again

Scene one saw someone taking a bite out of a fruit
the beginning and the end because evil was the root
Instruction was given to go forth and multiply
when it was realized unstoppable God gave a sigh

Scene two began with someone waving a fly swatter
relating stories and tales of when empires began to totter
God thought about bringing the curtain down quickly
he considered all of his work - what of the outcome finally?

The last act returned to the way everything was before
except that there was no tree with apples any more

Your lips were open - pursed to say something
whatever it was got lost in the excitement
whatever it was there was no remission
there had to be something that gave permission

There were good spots but you never knew which was best
you could see mountains and valleys along with the rest
pictures of sea urchins and anemones on the wall
spiders from Mars covering the ends of it all

They danced and frolicked standing on guard
to get past them you needed something hard
but it was easier to pass thro' the eye
of a needle than to enter the kingdom of heaven

God gave us pleasure to pursue at our leisure
it was always rewarding to find buried treasure

My companion has no clothes to speak of -
no odours, no form, only shape from being
born from flat ground - transparent in the round;
an open guide that pulls you from the inside
to a new plane not seen before - straight
thro' any solid door; where is this place
I've been escorted to? Encouraged and
gently led a long way above my head
seems familiar a a long time ago - the pace
of life here is very slow, timeless
airless, a pale hue - my Fair Isle pullover
must be a clue; seem smaller now
everyone taller just as ghostly friends dance
It appears that I've been given a second chance

Marmalade where are you now? In
the jar on the breakfast table -
preserved for all to see but gradually
going down - until there's nothing left
of you or centre or top or bottom
only a brush tail, maybe two as
your friend was with you - when you
were put inside, I remember how you
and all of us cried, it was quite a
squeeze getting you both in but
finally it was done and the lid
firmly put in place - one after another
a sad face wedged against the glass -
only temporary as all things come to pass