Fragment #37

I Have No Throne
Baby And I Can But Thank You
For All Of Your Shit

CK

That's Where I'll Take You

That's Where I'll Take You
Down To The Local Ruins
And Put More History Into It
Than It's Worth So You'll Look
Pass The Thistles Breaking Stonework
And The Nettles That Escape The Windows
A Fair Day And If Not We'll Return
With A Mary Poppins Picnic Basket
I Had Ordered Weeks Before
And Loafs Of Still Warm Tiger Bread
Which We Tear For Each Other
Until We Return Home At Dusk With
Stains In The Creases Of Our Clothes
That's Where I'll Take You

That's Where I'll Take You
Over To The Fancy Hotel
Where The Rooms Are Too Close
And Too Far From My Pocket
But I'll Sneak Us Across The River
And Across Their Green
And We'll Listen To The Big Band
In The Function Room
As We Hide Under The Flowers
Of Their Japanese Garden
And Watch The Fireworks
Breaking Over Head For The Happy
Couple Behind Us Who Clink
Champagne Glasses While We Share
A Yearless Wine Until It Takes Us Away Together
And A Mexican Groundskeeper Awakes Us
With The Sound Of A Strimmer And I Bring You Home
That's Where I'll Take You

That's Where I'll Take You
With The Two Dogs In Toe
To That Old Fabled Fairy-ring
That Hides Between The Almost
Treeless Fields We Like To Call Prairies
Without Food Or Water We Have
Only What's Left Of Each Other
And The Rain Beats Off Our Anoraks
For I Chose That Day
Just So I Could Kiss You In The Rain
And It All Turns To Night And
I Left Home With All The Lights Off
Just So We Couldn't Find Our Way Back
That's Where I'll Take You

CK

Fragment #36

Speculate Darling
It's Not What You Know, A Quote
Or It's Your Mis-quote

CK

It Ain't Ragtime It's Blues

His Smell Lingers In The Sheets In The Days Since He Left
Not Even The Spilled Red And Christmas Candles Drowns It
You Don't Speak These Words Though It Love And Theft
With Evidence Buried In An Embrace And I'll Acquit

For I Know Of Returns That Give Strength To His Scent
And A Searched Tie That Was Hidden Under A Sheet
So There Is Reason Behind The Morning Text You Sent
We Both Need Other Reasons For A Daytime Meet

Them Glossy Pages Had You Going Backwards
Taking Back What You Were So Keen To Give Away
But A Few Confident Words And You Greet Him With Awards
Then You Can Just Hope This Time He'll Stay

CK

Bay Of The Pigs

Please Don't Say It
Though I Can See It In A Prolonged Stare
Or Your Un-shamed Fingers Slipping Through Your Hair

Please Don't Say It
For It Would Make Heavy Of Our Little Affair
Such A Burden To Cast Would Be Awful Un-Fair

Please Don't Say It
The Same Words Said To You Many Times Before
The Same Words You Found Ill-Fitting When Wore

Please Don't Say It
Though It's What Those Lips Were Made For
Something Your Kisses Helped Make Men Ignore

Please Don't Say It
As It A Gateway Drug For These Bones To Commit
It Can Be Hard To Cool Down Once The Fire Is Lit

Please Don't Say It
For Then You Know I Could Only Act Upon It
Though This Silence Hurts More Than I Could Ever Admit
So Just Fucking Say It

CK

More Colcannon To Be Seized By Customs

Don't Mind Me, I'll Be Fine
Washing The Head Under The Tap
As If Getting Rid Of All The Suds From The Roots
And Wrapped In A Towel
Of Kitchen Paper And Setting It Out On The Board
Ripping Un-Wanted Leaves Like Band-aids
Without Explored Sores Shouting Back
Over Her Shoulder To Make Sure He Had All Packed
Not A Question For She'd Check His Papers Regardless
Only Colder After Chopping And Sending It Over Salty Water

In The Few Minutes It Took To Boil
She Had Refolded Underwear, Bundled Socks
And Slipped An Extra Note Into One Of His Running Shoes
For He Was Wearing His Good Coat
As It Sat Draining In The Sink He Watched The Clock
And She Then Added Something To The Mash That Made It Her's
Then The Heat Hard Hands Re-chopped And Mixed Together
As She Says All I Want Is A Text Every Few Days
With An Old Wooden Spoon Still Folded In The Pot
I Will

Then A Chill Hearing Him Grunt Lifting The Bag To His Shoulder
She Knew It Was Time
With Little More Said She Took A Plastic Tub From The Cupboard
Above Her Head
And Undid A Healthy Portion. He Waited As She Slowly Fastened The Lid
Turning With Hands Full Taking Him Close With One Final Pull
Again Warning Him About Wetbacks And Female Yanks
Until She Handed It To Him
It Is Just The Way You Like It
Thanks

The Flight Won't Wait For You
Leaving Her Empty Hands With Nails Chewed
While The Tub Warmed His As He Flew
He Hated Airplane Food
Another Irish Mother To Include In The American Blood Feud

CK

1918 Revisited

The Shirt Was Ill-Fitting And Soiled
The Trousers Loose And Tucked Well Down Into My Boots
Perhaps I Should Have Dug Deeper Into The Pile
Reserves From The Last One Still There. Watching We Didn't Take Two

Then Rotten Cocoa Hidden In Both Cheeks
It All Smelt Worse When It Was Removed

In The Breast Pocket Was A Letter Dated
To The Summer The First One Was To End As He Felt It,
His Own Words, Through Whispers From The Ranks
Having Them Telling Their Wives Of Returns
And He Was Right. It Was About To End

Then Lower The Patch Work Of Some Girl's Nimbleless Fingers
With An Un-Washed Stain Around It In A Circle
The Shirt Was Even Darker On The Back Side In His Exit

At Least He Had Faced It
His Fixings Sent Home But The Shirt Could Be Stitched
It Would Have Been Not Use To Her
So They Kept It As If They Knew It Would Happen Again
The Same Sweat, Tears And All That
Again For That Same Bit Of Occupied Soil

Here I Am Ready For More Than His Shirt To Stain Me

CK

Un-Erotica

A Stranger. I Am Not Agonizing Over Forgetting Your Name
There Is No Need For Sweet Talk That Brings You To Your Knees
Not Body Parts Or Words For Only Morning Would Bring Shame
Is It Still Rude Asking You To Leave If I Say Please?

CK

Taste, Texture and Reliability

Sleaze As Somebody Must Really Like Your Work
Not Enough To Feel But Enough For A Jerk
Off Early From The Pub 'Cause Lights Are Blurring
A Slipping Grip On Her Glass Leaves Little Inferring
Is There Such A Thing As Too Many Carbombs
If It Leaves You Sweating In Each Others Palms
Ripping Foil And Not Returning The Favor
But Your Kind Enough To Use Strawberry Flavor
It Was Easy To Sleep To 'Flume' And The Fumes
But It's A Classless Morning And Inhibitions Resumes
It One Night And I Stand On The Boundaries
I Hope All The Groupies Call Their Own Taxis
And Leave Before The After Parties

CK

Respecting Rank

'You Know You Could Run Them Around This Town'
Burning One Cigarette With Another
'You Know You Treat'em Mean And Keep'em Keen'
With Crashing Ashes In The Folds Of Her White Dress
'Dicks And Cunts The Lot Of Them, And Sure We're No Worse'
A Rugby Player Maybe...
'Sure Tonight's Fella I Don't Remember His Name'
Sure She'll Know For Sure When He Adds Her Tomorrow
'I'm Sick Of This Shit'
And On The Other Hand So Is Another Guy
'You Would Swear It Was An Alphabetical List'
With A Name Above And Below, Alpha And Beta
'You'd Wonder How Do These Things Start'
Never Mind Last

CK

As The Time Aroused

Your Fingers With Trimmed Nails Flicked The Switch
And The Darkness Blinds Your Eyes For The Moment
Sees You Both To Silence And She Begins To See
Your Naked Shape In The Hall Light That Breaks
From The Cracks Of The Door But Your Eyes Still Can't
See Her Hiding Bare Under The Sheets Cautious In A
Silence Long Enough To Worry You That She Had A
Moment Of Sober-ness Or Prude-ness But By This Stage
It's All Too Late And In Your Own Head As Her Voice
Guides You Across Overthrown Pants, A Dismantled Bra,
Around A Desk Chair And A Fallen Make- Up Bag To
The Edge Of The Bed Which You Lift From The Bottom
Corner Crawling To Her Side, Lying Covered There Your
Eyes Begin To Adjust And You Sense All As If You Couldn't See

CK

A Response To The Waek Boys

Just Like Martin And All His Cousins
Spitting, Smoking And Re-Arranging His Drawers
A Lighter In Hand, He's Heavy Bred
He'll Not Know The Spoils Of Wars

Making Unedited Filibusters On Camera
To Those Who The Council Gave The Lane
Nomadic Nobodies Who Came From Another Town
With Enough Stones For Every Window Pane

Some Overweight And All State-Paid
Got To Keep The Children In Reeboks
Though It's Changed Since His Grandfather's Day
Once Practiconers Of The Dodgy Poor Box

"Our Clenched Fists Are Our Birthright"
His Father Would Tell His Boys
"The Dirt You Fight On Your Birthright"
You Don't Spill Blood To Make A Lot Of Noise

His Nights Are Names, Names Swapping Names
"Your Father Beat My Father Into His Tomb"
He Awakes To Find His After-Hours Gone
Must Have Lost It In A Trashed Hotel Room

CK      

O Tell Me The Truth About...

Is It What I Wanted To Say
 But Never Said
Is It That You Knew What I Meant
 And Said It Instead
Is It That Little Pause Before Each
 Time We Kissed
Is It That Over The Summer You Were
 The Only Thing I Missed
Is It That I Can Only See Myself
 In Your Eyes
Is It The Way You Join In When
 Somebody Else Cries
Is It When You Would Sing Adele
 Badly In The Shower
Is It Felt Every Time I Reached To
 Pick You A Flower
Is It That I Though Of You Every
 Second You Were Not Here
Is It Your Laugh, The Only Thing
 To Cure My Fear
Is It That My Lowest Moments
 Were After Our Fights
Is It That My Greatest Moments
 Were Secret Sleepover Nights
Is It Each Poetry Book Left Bent
 On Your Favorite Pages
Is It The Covers That Were Destroyed
 In Our Hearts And Names
Is It The Love I Felt Wrapped
 In Your Arms
Is It That There I Felt Beyond
 All Other Harms
No. It Was Just The Sex

CK

Omen

With Tomorrow's Paper And Vinegar
She Polished The Glass In Falling Strokes
From The Roof's Top To The Floor's Bottom
Then Both Tripping Over His Old Work Boots
As She Looked Over The Scaffolded Hills
And All The Other Mansard Roofs
There Feeling It, Just Something
Until Serene Again Seeing The Heath
Below, His Ladder Fallen And Jerry
Cans Forgotten, Today Of All Days
Lucid, Finally She Turns Almost In Unison
With A Robin Too Old For The Season
Seeing It Falling To The Edge Of The Sill
Neck Broke And With A Final Twitch
Sending In Off Into His Wheelbarrow Below
Neither It Nor His Tools Have Been Moved In Many Months

CK

Overtones

They Sat Without Even Thinking
With Him In The Middle
He Had Got Use To It Quick.
Some Straight To Rolling
While Others Just Seemed Happy
To Be There At All.
Maybe It's The Vinyls For Coasters
Or An Abundance Of Weed
That Gave The Impression Of Expression.

Fiddling With His Thumbs
Until You Asks With Jealous Swigs
"So Your Almost Famous".
Forcing A Smile He Wanted To
"I Don't Know 'Bout That"
And We All Know What Comes Next.
Blowing The Dust Off
While He Re-tuned To His Voice
Neither Need Be Done.

He Liked To Keep Them Waiting
He Felt He Had To
Warming-up In A Two-Up-Two-Down.
Finally Coming Out
With A Bit More Than Three Chords
Just A Bit More.
With It He Has Them All Charged
And After The Applause
You Stares For A Second Too Long.

There'll Be No Encore
He Couldn't But There's No Need
He Has Her Hand In His.
Seeing This You Asks For The Toilet
Not Feeling The Best
And Get Lost On Your Way Upstairs.
Later Two Of Them Find You
Sprawled In And Out Of His Bed Sheets
With No Room For Her.

Trying To Lift You By Your Morbid Waist
"Well Fuck Ya Johnny"
And Watch Them Leave Through Cracked Eyes.
It Was A Small Victory
Until You Realized His Room's Above The Kitchen
And Everybody Had Left.
The Morning Showed Her Appreciation
With Imprints Of Two Sweat
Staining Cheeks On The Breakfast Island.

CK

Wade

It Couldn't Be Explained In A Phone Conversation
So There Was A Missed Call From An Old Friend
You Sit Trying To Forget That Feeling That Resurfaced At Weddings
But Rain Is Only Making The Crossing Lights Bigger
Until You're Recounting Your Stops Four Or Five Times
And Start Wondering About Your Shadow's Reflection In The Window

Could You Tell The Difference Between The Same
And Wonder Would A Trolley Coffee Open Your Eyes
Till A Familiar Laugh A Few Seats Down Puts You Out The Window Again

A T.V. In A Family's Sitting Room Is The Background
To A Song But The Battery Kicks Halfway Through
Wrongly She Once Said Cosmic Love Was Made On A Train Journey
But Their Different Bedfellows, Not Unlike Coach Seats
And Ashtrays, Remember Them, Their Gone Too
Till Again You Wonder About The Man Who Now Has The Better Part Of Her Day

CK

Anninut

The Squeak Of The Trolley Wheel
Under The Weight Of Mr Sachs
Could Be Heard At The Front Gate
Warning The Children To Keep Clear
They Were Right
They Would Only Take Fifteen Minutes
Four Latex Gloves Escort Him From His Home
For The Second Last Time
A Wave Ahead And Out
To The Day's Empty Street
Rushing Him In To The Back
With The Clicking Of Double Doors
He Was Brought To Be Thrown
In With Pyrewood And A Half Bottle Of Old Spice,
His Scent The Wife Said
They Return Not Twelve Hours Later
With The Husband Conveniently Packaged
And I'm Forced To Sign For Him

CK