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I left serious procrastinating by Liverpool Street station,
And skipped into Spitalfields
Looking for ludicrous.
In this place,
In the city but not of the city,
Lissome youths in black skinny jeans
Loiter by stalls selling things that no-one needs.
Rockabilly chick,
In my splurty outy dress,
Petticoats flouncing,
I twirled and giggled
Through the Goblin Market
Into the Water Poet,
And curtseyed gracefully,
Accepting a liquid offering,
Prepared to hold court.
Later, we may find sustenance,
Or resume the dance
On sticky floors.
It's time to let go of plans, responsibility and care,
To run, to laugh, to pirouette, to dare.
Leave me here
Or join me,
But beware
The labyrinth is tricksy
And the way back
Is by no means guaranteed.
Cinzia May 2018
You with your post-primitive hair
and your eyelids
stop teasing
we're all in on the secret
though mum

ten times i've told you
in operatic tones
ten times i've curtseyed
before you a rose in my teeth

my heart is all stomach ache
with regret
opportunities for truth squandered
polite smiles and pleasantries

today let's speak free
margotskidder Feb 2019
We curtseyed away and disinfected the air with our apologies

My Dad seethed;
opportunities lost of relieving the torment

It took hours
But we patched him back together
The only way we knew how..

With caution, and warmth shielding him.. bringing him home
I know I miss my Dad when I wish we could relive supporting him through his trauma. Love and miss you every day, I never say it, it's been 9 years in April and I'm still numb
Will Carpenter Jul 2017
When I was 18 I met a dancer

When she walked the spotlight followed her steps

She would twist and turn for the roar of the crowd

Her toes pointed her arms raised

She moves front and back side to side on the stage

She leaped and curtseyed and smiled and laughed

She packed her bags backstage and left

Saying goodbye she smiled once more

This time without a wild roar

I saw her crying on a city street

While I was walking home from the show

Her toes were Crimson

Her knees black and blue

In the silence of the night I helped her off the ground

She told me never sell yourself to the roar of the crowd
margotskidder Feb 2019
The same outcome time and time again
What happened next was yet to be the trademark of these nights

It was all going swimmingly
No tears, the fears all washed away
No fresh broken veins rising to the surface of my mother's face
No stutters in the risk of turning happy times to grave

All was fabulous, darling

Then the taxi driver came
Prompt, on time, pulled up to the line
Got out the car, held our door, greeted us

We hopped in and he softened the sounds of his zithers and drums and CRASSSHHHH
like that..
Father Jack was back

The Tasmanian whirlwind of Dad
His vomiting of ignorant bile
The tarnished look of shame
The spit escaping his furious tongue
Our blushed red cheeks and the look of fear in the rear view mirror

The want to float, erase, rewind the time to drumsticks and toothpicks digging out smart price nuts from our teeth

To fly to a time when Dad was 5 and be there
Not just fob him off to nearest kids home
'John, she's pregnant again, fetch your clothes'
... and nurture him, tell him he was loved and teach him right from wrong

Those rear view eyes, counting down the time

We cleaned up the aftermath, disinfected the air with our apologies and curtseyed away whilst he licked his wounds

Next gig pencilled in, St Patrick's Day.
Ryan O'Leary May 2020
It occurred to me during
the night, that nocturnal
canines were having beauty
contests in the park opposite
our house. Local *******
took over the usual catwalks
while audiences of strays
from lower levels curtseyed
and expressed astonishment!

Wow Wow Wow Wow.

— The End —