ts
not castle vaults, mind you,
but the elevator shaft and draw-bridge equivalent
of a white charger--
fierce visor in place
--armour gleaming--
a sabre rattling at my side
be-jewelled & twinkling
the key clinking
there, to corner distance
(time & space)
dragons to be dirked and slain.

Fiery eye, forked tails
donut-sized scales
plastered as a calendar
or shingler might a tiled roof
--the empty spell
Bellerophon spying his Lady in a belfry
on driving home.

VIEWER MAIL

The sky was
a ringed net of honeyed light,
(colours from peeled apples)
funnelling cloud ...
tumbler over dice
(the carrot throat
lemonade pie)
twin coins in a fountain
brief lantern spark amid
twittering noise.

The trees were awaiting giants
gathered to fumble about the river
noiseless bridge
and, I, skyscraper man
dangling a reflection,
(afternoon tea)
muddy me
Jimbob expression
water angling for dirt.

IMAGISTIC

There in the cosmos--
white dwarfs launch a black rooftop
imagistic, clean as a pantry,
the twilight roads with ledges lean
like raw openings.

And coming upon stars
in a country woodhouse
--cold, big as frozen pears,
each breath of light visible
thru chinks & clusters
of broken ceiling wood;
hands raw & nipped sawing logs--
breath menacing the depths
on inner space, something pale
and profoundly suggestive.

LIVING ROOM

If anatomy were a contact sport,
the stomach would be a football
estomac, hammock
sagging . . . .
the container of riotous living
pried loose.

And the head--
a barrel of nails,
binder-twine
unravelled into knots;
the brain a cauliflower
for flavouring,
precious little else.

Spare the heart
its dagger pleasure
inveighed from the start.

HIGH ROLLER

1
Terrorism--
left-wing nerd (twin
grapefruits in his hand
gives it away)
winging a stiletto shoe,
spitting on an ashcan
to bring up a bruise or two.

2
Visions are steadier--
I see in the shimmer
blue veins to target,
a silhouette of the rich,
fur wraps in their Bentleys
time to bring up tar,
kick ass in Knightsbridge
with my holiday bomb blast.

3
Bag snatching can be dangerous
let go if you don't want to be
dragged over cobbles behind a Vespa.

4
The Harrod's sign, "please keep
moving" meant busin