Prescription

Charlotte Gainsbourg
Twice
For 8000 years each time.

That was the prescription.

I asked for
Many.

'Who's your wife again?'
Asked the old Jewish guy
In the bathing robe
With the big black framed glasses.

I couldn't remember.
'You think this is a restaurant?
Why would they have nurses in a restaurant?'

I need some coffee

I need some coffee
Let’s play computer games
what do you want to do?
Are you good at maths?
Will you go out tonight?
Did you learn new English words?
Stay with us!
Talk to your boss!
Buy some cigarettes!
Come to me quickly!

92 codeine tablets

They gave you 92
Cos you've got some light

Watching Ally McBeal
In your PJ's
A bit of blue sky thinking
And you knew
I've never thrown my toys from the pram
And you knew
I don't recognise the famous

I met a guy from the German army
He saw me before you
So I took a week off
And dived into the ocean

I don't get mad
I get depressed
Cos none of the best ones are ever impressed
I'm like Paris Fashion weak
I can never see the wood for the trees

Let the river answer
Walk beside me
Deny me
Anything you think I don't need
Amen and hallelujia
Til the end of time
The waves will wash us away
Towers will fall

Yes you know
About me

Nobody Should Die

Nobody should die
This life is too green
The birds are too free

I need to open you up
I need to explore you
This need is with me now
It eats me

Animals creep
Deep in the forest
Flowers form
Deep in my mind

Life is crawling
Thriving
surviving

People stop
And look up
At the sky

And then we laugh together
Don't leave me
Whales are real

Women

Damn
Damn
Damn

Girls
Women
Girls
Women

Girls

Triumph
Momentary
The end echoes til the end of time

Failure
Forget about it
I'm trying
Move on
I'm trying

But there's nowhere to go

Though there are some other things
But they are all crap

Network South East

What shall I write about?
(Oh God, it's one of those poems)

I'm on the train
My scrawl on the small Muji notebook is insane
My back is arched.
There's a tingling on my lip
But the Lysine works so I'm not too worried.

It's the Network South East.
We're between London Bridge and New Cross.
We're English, suburban
We know London, we see what it's about
But we live in the suburbs.
We are English
We watch TV
We read the Evening Standard
We take long business calls on our mobiles.
I'm a funny one though

After Reading Bukowski

Ah Bukowski
You old dog
How do you do it?
How do you always make me feel better?

You confessed your trick –
‘No grand statement’
Which is fine
Because there can’t be
When you’re on this level of honesty
and when you’re celebrating
Like you do

He takes you there, Buk
Old Buk
To the string vest
Sweat
Beardiness
German slob
So German
Watching the Americans
Liking his pussy
Loving his drink
Tapping at the type-writer
Pre-empting critics
And playing

But he takes you there
To the memories
The stock images – whore, fighting sailor, roominghouse with cockroaches & crazy neighbour, naked co-ed, Hollywood party, drink, fire

But there’s something universal too
He saw because he did.

As he taps,
Shrugging
Experimenting
Grinning
Slugging
His cat lolling
His wife huffing
He smiles
and
We see