Modern woes

I tell you woe to people like these,

They wont shake your hand

In case they catch some disease,

Yet where ever they go

They continually sneeze,

They'll give you discomfort

So they feel at ease,

They delouse your cat,

Yet they're covered in fleas,

I tell you woe, to people like these.

I tell you woe to people like these,

They wont help you out,

Because they're on their knees,

Praying for you

While you swing in the breeze,

Give you a dustpan,

While you stand in debris

from your recently imploded life,

They say “please...

I think you missed a bit...”

I tell you woe to people like these

I tell you woe to people like this,

Nice to your face

But to your back, it's a diss,

Their loving words are as kind

As Judas' last Kiss

I tell you woe to people like this.

I tell you woe to people like this.

They think they're all that,

But they're less hit, more miss,

Living the life-style,

Blowing the kiss,

Looking down on the poor

While in debt to the rich,

I tell you woe to people like this,

They've had they're reward,

All they clenched in their fist,

A hand full of fairy dust,

That disappears like the mist,

In the first light of day,

Like loves latest tryst,

The bed is all empty,

You wont be missed,

I tell you woe to people like this.

I tell you woe to people like those,

Who cried 'help the homeless,

Lets give them warm clothes',

But when crossing them, huddled

In the door of Waitrose,

Last December, they rather conveniently

Froze,

inactive and glued to the spot,

by their toes

I tell you woe, to people like those,

 

I tell you woe to people like you,

Who think that you're clean

In all that you do.

Outside; all porcelain,

Inside; all Loo,

Making a show,

If only they knew,

You think you've arrived

When really you're through,

Your body is old,

But your facelift is new,

You're fooling no-one,

Least of all, you

Woe to people like you

Woe to the whitewashed tombs

Woe to the face of it,

Woe to perfume,

That covers the scent

Which comes from the gloom

the rotting bones,

Stored in your room,

The skeleton closet,

Closest to discovery soon,

Woe to white house and woe to the room

Woe to the white picket fence,

Woe to the chintz

And to the pretence,

Woe to the death that it marks

Death by degrees,

Died in the dark

While outside is all sweetness and light,

The tomb dressed for Sunday,

In the brightest of white,

Time to get clean from within,

Break open the tomb,

Dig up the sin,

Pour it all out on display,

And pray for the waters to wash it away.

Her Children Shall Rise up

There was a time,
When the heart of your husband,
was glad in you,
There was a time,
When your watchful love
Was red ruby precious,

Red like the long apple peel,
That cascaded, helter-skelter,
From the knife in your hand,
Onto the tongue in my mouth,
And your smile at this stolen pleasure,
This shared moment,
Made my apish turn-up lips,
Imitate your impish ones,

Even your scraps were sweet,
Discreet,
A moment for me, alone,
And you made us all feel like that,
In the generosity of
Your selective, selfless love,


And,
Intoxicated with the intimate,
Intricate sweet-sour memories,

Your children Shall rise up,
And call you blessed

There was a time,
When you opened your arms to the needy,
When Your deeds declared,
Your heart-held hopes,
Of love for all,
The lamp of it,
Burned a deep, luminous cavern,
Seared into the hours of the night,
A hollow of light,
Within the darkened fog
Of my sunken expectations,
Your deeds raised the game,
And I praise your name,

And,
Upheld by hopeful crutches,
Inspired by your deeds,
Heavy with light touches,

Your Children Shall Rise up,
And call you blessed,


There was a time,
When, though fear could be said,
In part,
To define you,
Your frightless love,
Laughed without fear of the future,
And the summer of my youth,
Held no fear of winter,
For the faith-full sun,
Could not be diminished by,
Deepest chill, then
Nor death now,

And,
Though fear sometimes defines them,
As love  revives and faith refines them,

Your Children shall Rise up,
And call you blessed,


There was a time,
When your words of wisdom
Soared heights over head,
And, now you are dead,
I wish I could recall them,
Like loves ashes fell,
You had sashes to sell,
But I would not buy them,
I could have been like you,
Clothed in strength,
Dignified in all seasons,
Though tempest comes
And drought depletes,
Energetic and strong,

We rise in the streets
And call you blessed

Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last,
But a woman who fears the Lord ,
Will be greatly praised,

And so we rise up,
And call you blessed.



(Proverbs 31:10-31)

The uninhabitable planet and the loneliest Astronaut

Planet, you are not so beautiful,
Not such a hospitable environment,
That I may acclimatise,
No green valleys, lush with twisting conversation,
Swathes of ice cold charm,
Vapours of vanity,
Wisps of interest,

Your terrain is foreboding,
Often cruel,

And yet there is Lichen,
There is Algae,
There are microbes of humanity.

There are peaks to climb,
Crevices in which to delve,
Succulent textures of foreign flesh,
There are boulders that may be touched,
Held,
felt.


From here in outer-space,
To this wondering satellite,
It looks
To me
Like Life.
And it is alien to me.


And passing by at warp speed,
On a course across the stars,
To nowhere in particular,
To lonely, drunken bars,

Your planet generates
A strange gravity,
It is a simple matter of science,
And fact.
You exist,
And it has been so long,
Since my feet touched the ground
And like a tractor beam,
It pulls me in,

And I am in orbit,
Despite my efforts,
To regain control of my craft.

And round and round we go,
The uninhabitable planet
And the loneliest Astronaut,
Who ought to know better,
And unable to disembark,
Or disengage,
I will orbit you
And planets like you,
Forever.

Bom, bom, bom,
A satellite of Love

A Weird Place

I'm in a weird place right now
I have been here for quite a while
I'm in a weird place, somehow
A vacant stare with a vacant smile,

I'm in a weird place right now
I will be here some time
'Till all the power goes down
And the clocks forget to chime,

I'm in a weird place right now,
Give me a little time to sow this
Word-Seed into your mind,
I will be here until further notice,

I'm in a weird place right now,
Tell all friends and imaginary lovers,
That I'm away on fairy business,
When, really, I can't pull back the covers,

I'm in a weird place right now,
Where all is posture and pretence,
Where world war three's upon us,
And we can't see beyond our fence,

I'm in a weird place right now,
Where everything's disconnected,
I have more friends than I've ever had
But I've never felt so rejected,

I'm in a weird place right now,
I'm stuck here, in the dark,
I'm drowning in the flood,
Contained within the Ark,

I'm in a weird place right now,
A place of resurrection,
A place where conformity,
Equals insurrection.

I'm in a weird place right now,
I'm not sure you can reach me,
I'm stuck inside a wail,
That seems to want to beach me,

I'm in a weird place right now,
Please don't leave me stranded
I keep on trying to rise,
Don't say 'the eagle's landed',

I'm in a weird place right now,
'Broad sword to Dannyboy'
I'm going where Eagles dare,
Wish me 'luck' and wish me joy,

I'm in a weird place right now,
A place of signs and wanders,
I wander off the page...

In vain

You're vain in vain,
You have vanity in your veins,
You're so vain, it's insane,
in vanity insanity reigns,
You're vanity is interplanetary,
So I would go to many pains,
To define your vanity,
But sadly it's so vast ,
that my efforts are in vain,

Your vanity lacks humanity,
It occupies your brain,
You stand out in the street,
Looking for your reflection in each drop of rain,
you're so vain that you would follow each trickle,
Till it runs down the drain,
Like I said before,
Your vanity is insane.

In the main, it's a shame,
How vain you are is a pain,
But when I think of how small you are,
Mostly, it's in vain.

You'll hardly be remembered,
You'll never find your fame,
Amongst the billions who live now,
And the billions before who came,
In a universe expanding
In this multiverse, arcane
To think that this revolves around you,
Matthew Joseph,
It's insane.

The streets of Jerusalem

Hosannas now
Crucify then
the crowd will chant
in streets when
The king proceeds...
in front of them
on the streets
of Jerusalem

 And Palms will fall
like tears soon will
and wills will break
and blood will spill
and the face will fall
that made all of them
down in the dust, of the streets
of Jerusalem


Lauded now,
but bloodied then,
amidst the cheers
and jeers of men
the donkey now
will carry him
but he will carry
the cross and them
and drag the heavy weight of sin
out through the streets
of Jerusalem
And make a spectacle of sin
On the streets
Of Jerusalem


Hosanna to
The king on high
Hosanna to the heir
Of David's line
He's come to rule,
He's come to die
He's come to lay down
His life for them
Down on the streets
of Jerusalem
 

Signpost for the lost and found

And there it was
For all to see
The glory of
Your majesty,
The cross of wood
There in the ground
The signpost for
The lost and found,

Lifted high
For all to see
Your power
 And humility,
We look on you
In all your pain,
To live is Christ,
To die is gain,

Lifted up
For a little while,
The bearer of
All that's vile,
We look upon
Our sin and live
Humbled by
The life you give

Laid real low,
For a shorter time,
Dulled back then,
But now you shine,
You suffered then,
You drank the cup
But now you're high
And lifted up,

And here it is
For all to see
The glory of
Your majesty,
The empty cross
There in the ground
The signpost for
The lost and found,