PRIMER

Tags

Boris Johnson, Britain, Classics, Dominic Cummings, poem, poem poetry political moral, poetry, satire

PRIMER

“Draw courage from their littleness”.
Nick Cohen

you need a
megaphone of
absurd proportions
to amplify
to deify

up to the required
Caligula levels

your rodent cunning
to seem
tyrannosaur

it’s squeak a roar
louder than the Colosseum
in mighty words
garnished with
phrases from
some first year primer
of Ancient Greek or Latin

you need to hone that
sleek Alcibiades, Julius Caesar reputation
even when
the body is a hopeless fit

gaslight the shit out of the people
until they cannot but magnify
see you as golden

the statue of the future already
cemented into their heads
their need
for you drilled
with Spartan
military precision

GOOD KING DUMPLING

Tags

Boris Johnson, BREXIT, Britain, Corona, covid-19, Dominic Cummings, poem, poem poetry political moral, poetry, satire

GOOD KING DUMPLING

Good King Dumpling
last set out
nine previous feasts of Stephen
when the Covid patients lay about
dying but hand-shakable

brightly shone the Brexit moon that night
gammon lunatics still inspiring
though St Dominic had hightailed off
to some Northern Latitude
(scheme cheating)

hither serf
come stand by me
your obedience
I’ll be needing
and someone
else to read my words
can’t be seen
dead them speaking

SOFTLY

Tags

BREXIT, Britain, British, Censorship, media, poem, poem poetry political moral, poetry, satire

SOFTLY
(for Emily
Maitlis)

speak softly
when talking
truth to
power

walk
circuitously
and carry a small
insignificant stick

don’t do for it
like a
shrieking jet
fighter-
bomber
on a strafing run

thinking yourself
top dollar
thinking
yourself top
gun

(however much
after-action satisfaction
however much fun)

GOOD MORNING

Tags

apocalyptic, Britain, British, Chaos, data, Ending, Fascism, Humanity, identity, Language, meaning, media, philosophical, philosophy, poem, poem poetry political moral, poetry, postmodern, poststructuralist, power, Reader, satire, transformation, Truth, value, wordplay, writing

GOOD MORNING

I wanted to say
“good morning”
but the words
would not
come

and what use
are words anyway now
because this is
the world of
data, data

every facet of life
and self atomized
vaporized
boiled down to
data

served every which way
stripped of
human
meaning
void
of right and wrong

good morning
let me say
good morning

there is neither light nor darkness
where I am right now
just odd bits and bytes to
switch me
off
my program having run

THERE THEY ARE

Tags

Boris Johnson, Britain, Dominic Cummings, poem, poem poetry political moral, poetry, power, satire, wordplay

THERE THEY ARE

There they are
in John of Gaunt’s garden
no attempt to hide themselves

nor why should they
bird Boris and bird Dominic
such exquisite warblers
fowl of such
refined plumage

unless
I am mistaken
our fall
from grace
has me
truly shaken

and these songbirds are
in effect
but scratchy 78s
from an old 30s machine
(music to
adore as you
fascist regime)

two rat-world aviators desperate
to fly
a Wilbur and Orville flapping
cardboard wings

might work in politics
but not here, in this garden

makes you
such alien beings

AN EARTHLING SENDS A POSTCARD HOME

Tags

A Martian Sends a Postcard Home, BREXIT, Britain, Craig Raine, Dominic Cummings, Martian poetry, poem, poem poetry political moral, poetry, satire, wordplay, writing

AN EARTHLING SENDS A POSTCARD
HOME

Mars media is full
of the exploits
of the British Dominic Mekon

for them it is a sign
of cosmic brotherhood
that he can behave
like a comic book alien
yet his skin
is not green

the media is
strange and
tries not to
be redundant
but when
all are telepathic
do headlines
make much sense?

but here I am
trying to explain
my life postcard-sized
and yet already
at the limit
of my conceptual repertoire
struggling to
name things there
are no words for
translate what
lies beyond belief

perhaps our new
penchant for
the surreal, the
absurd, a politics
beautifully illogical

where class and privilege
parade butt-naked

on a planet
where reasons, answers,
have become
superfluities

I may as yet
encapsulate, communicate
my Martian mode of being.

BOB

Tags

Boris, BREXIT, Britain, British, corona virus, covid-19, poem, poem poetry political moral, poetry, satire

BOB

bung me
a bob

got a
gong
in my head

came from
China

from some old
Wizard Emperor
they brought
back

from the dead
to crown in this time
of deadly kings
gone mad

where the Sun
itself grows
medieval war spines

bung
me a
bob

heads I lose

tails
I die

BONKERS BRIDGE

Tags

Boris Johnson, BREXIT, Britain, British, poem, poetry, satire

BONKERS BRIDGE

bonkers bridge
bonkers bridge

big and booming
on the draft board

but will it not
sway crazily
to every
whim of Nature

jump like a
swimming rope
in every
gale force breath
of God?

and in
act of crossing
darlings
what will you wear?

wheels and rails, clamps, rivets
and very high suspenders

cross-
dressing essential

should you
fall out of style

tumble from grace

ESCAPE

Tags

Britain, Gwen Stefani, poem, poem poetry political moral, poetry, satire

ESCAPE
“now wouldn’t that be sweet?”
Gwen Stefani

the puppets and the
Muppets have all escaped

are making their way
down to the zoo

for photo-opportunities riding
lions and tigers

and
polar bears and
laughing – hyenas

before they build
their great bouncing bridge
up to the Moon

SPANNER

Tags

BREXIT, Britain, poem, poem poetry political moral, poetry, satire, wordplay, writing

SPANNER
“I call him after grandad
Who had a feathered brain.”

John Lennon, A Spaniard
in the Works

Dan is on his way
with spanner and hammer
hurtling as fast
as fat legs can carry him

down with it to
sort out all who
fail to
comprehend, don’t
understand

and you
can be sure
(that fish and
chip English
being pure)

that nothing
will be lost
in translation
(even a fool
with a
Ph D
can
easily follow

no problem
to understand)