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Poems provoked by some of the Proverbs of Hell listed in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell by William Blake; published by Great Works (www.greatworks.org.uk)
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poems provoked by some of the proverbs of hell listed inthe marriage of heaven and hellby william blake
PROVERBS
OF HELL
RG GREGORY1971
proverbs of hell
1
proverbs of hell
Copyright © RG Gregory 2002
RG Gregory is hereby identified as the author of this workin accordance with
Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act. 1988.
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All rights reserved.
a memorable fancy
as i was walking among the fires of hell, delightedwith the enjoyments of Genius, which to Angels looklike torment and insanity, I collected some of their
Proverbs, thinking that as the sayings used in anation mark their character, so the Proverbs of Hellshew the nature of infernal wisdom better than any
description of buildings or garments
When I came home, on the abyss of the five senses,where a flat sided steep frowns over the presentworld, I saw a mighty devil folded in black cloudshovering on the sides of the rock; with corroding
fires he wrote the following sentence now perceivedby the minds of men, & read by them on earth.
how do you know but ev'ry Bird that cuts the airy wayis an immense world of delight, clos'd by your senses five?
william blakethe marriage of heaven and hell
proverbs of hell
2
proverbs of hell
the cut worm forgives the plow 3dip him in the river who loves water 6no bird soars too high who soars with his own wings 7the eagle never lost so much time as when he submitted
to learn of the crow 9exuberance is beauty 12prudence is a rich ugly old maid courted by incapacity 13expect poison from standing water 15one thought fills immensity 21drive your cart and your plow over the bones of the dead 24the road to excess leads to the palace of wisdom 71enough! or too much 73
notethe poems in this book test the propositions implicit in blake's proverbs
sometimes by accepting the proposition's truth from the startand exploring within its intentions
sometimes by challenging the propositiontaking it to an extreme (or absurd) edge
and treating it almost disrespectfully
overall though the book sets out from blake's proverbsthrough a hell of its own
and arrives at a statement that is everything to do with its own dayand may or may not have that relevance to blake's time and ideas
that first provoked the investigation of these proverbs
proverbs of hell
3
the cut worm forgives the plough
iat first hellmurder bloodshedthe purplest patchesof revenge screamingenough to tear theguts out of a girlby the fence - languagehoned on hatred desiresoozing like pusout of caves backback into the darkof stinking forebearscorrupting the stolidcontemporary hunkof placid granitethe world assumes me
iiwho sent the knifeto scrape corrodingsun from my eyes
who the right todecide my cosy ribsshould be turnedout of doors and haveto reaffirm theirfunction in the wakeof the plangent air
who said to my genitals partand become crusaders - bothsides of the mirrorwhich to date has beenthe cell destroying you
who neatly partedmy feet and criedwalk both ways intothe dawn and duskfor only thus can yourelease love acceptsuffering and (by movingamongst mixed blood)encompass man's struggleout of the egg intohis stuttering dreams
iiiwhen the axe fellbetween the loversand sliced them apartat the point ofco-respondence theyfatalistically layready to bleed todeath but then shededuced that he alone was dying arose
proverbs of hell
4
carefully removingthe rigid uselesspart (her eiffel tower) and happilywashing herself ofits sweet memoriessang for her freedomall the way to a lessdemanding address
he didn't die eitherlosing one talent hediscovered another -bereft of his manhoodhis voice had aninteresting pitchand within three yearshad made his fortuneas a counter-tenor
ivi am miserable saidthe orphans - givena pack and a crustof bread and told to bugger off intothe void they criedfor each other nightlyand hated their mother
until they woke upone morning and feltwarm in the sun iknow who i am theysimultaneously cried(half world apart)scooped up a handfulof new dirt and threwit at each other (asymbolic gesture only)
wiping the salt-grimefrom their eyes theythen put their nosestowards the lush earthand went about seeingfor the first time
vi walked the earthand found a paththat led me backto my other half
hullo i saidhis face was cubedand out of his armgrew a pitchfork
he shrank from mehis mouth screwed upwhy balloonswhere your ears were
proverbs of hell
5
for his heart he hada packet of playersone of his legsspun topwise
you've got cotton reelsin the place of ballshe spat at meyour hoofs are cloven
he's mad i thoughtthe travel's freakedhim - all my life inever felt so normal
vieven if you kill mei know my dyinghas given you spaceto plant your own life
but you have to bewary of meon two sides now
viiwhen we all got togetherafter forty yearsand tried to guesswhich parts had belonged to whichat the beginningthere was so much laughterwe couldn't get any of itright - but none of uswould have it differently
dip him in the river who loves water
when i was sufferingbecause i couldn't swimand my love livedthe other side of the riverthere came at my backa kind-looking manwho said i'd be happier in the woods with him
i'd lived in the woodsfrom a very young agethe trees were my friensi remember beating myfather one day when mencame and dragged some awayit was an old wood for meit couldn't drag me from
the banks of the riverlooking across at my girl
proverbs of hell
6
whose house on the skylinewas a tumour inside methe man's voice i admitwas as soft as a nurse'shis hand on my shoulderwas a church to my fever
the cool of it hurt mei hated my lameness ofmind (the fear of my body)and the water went byin a fervour - a barrierpf barbed wire cuttingme off from my love andthe freedom she sang of
all night i sat cryingfor courage the manwas a moon in the mistat dawn he walked into the river and drownedi screamed for my fatherhe'd gone a long time agothe wood was a dead one
no bird soars too high if it soars with his own wings
when kish got trapped in the classroomthey tried to teach him frenchand declared all gypsies are moronsbut he knew some romany which they didn't
don't take your bird to school boydon't take your bird to schoolthey'll stuff it in a cageand make it sing to rule
when christine arrived in the classroomshe knew her mother was at homebeing knocked off by the milkmanand they tried to teach her about life
don't take your bird to school girletc
when christopher dozed off in the classroomthey thumped him awake with a bookhe'd been up half the night working onhis scale model of hms victory
don't take your bird to school boyetc
when monica sat in the classroomshe was careful not to catch her new tightsa present from joe for her birthday they aren't uniform they said take them off
don't take your bird to school girletc
proverbs of hell
7
when graham stumped into the classroomthey swore at him and said he stankhe didn't know he had shit on his bootshe'd been up since five milking cows
don't take your bird to school boyetc
when angela yelled quiet in the classroomher mind was on william next doorhow she loved him and told him last nightand her body sang with the joys of her love
don't take your bird to school womanetc
when eric sat mute in the classroomthey couldn't get him to take in a thingbut he was lying back on a haystackwatching clouds drift in from the south
don't take your bird to school boyetc
when ann rushed into the classroomher pockets were stuffed with combslifted from woolworths so they told herwipe the lipstick off and do up your blouse
don't take your bird to school girletc
when roger fooled around in the classsroomthey kept on that he ought to grow upand he thought of the girls he'd pokedin the derelict houses come on four o'clock
don't take your bird to school boyetc
when brenda sat in tears in the classroomshe was living again and again the deathof her mother why should they shout at mewhen i won't take part in their stupid play
don't take your bird to school girletc
when alan played with himself in the classroomthey screamed he was dirty - don't you knowyou're destroying your manhood - bugger offhe said i've just won a cup with my pigeons
don't take your bird to school boyetc
when joan sat like a cabbage in the classroomthey patted her smiling out of pity -she is a good girl but thick - she was dreamingof the young man she wanted to rape her
don't take your bird to school girl
proverbs of hell
8
etc
when william stalked into the classroomand clouted john jones he'd walked out of a rowwith a bastard and brute of a head who dislikedhis friendliness with boys like john jones
don't take your bird to school mandon't take your bird to schoolthey'll stuff it in a cageand make it sing to rule
the eagle never lost so much time as when he submitted to learn of the crow
just tell me where you want to goi'll tell you how to get therewho's first
sir there's this mountainmy uncle's been telling me of(everest's an iced cake beside it)crags bloom from the cliff-face like mushroomsand yetis swarm round its peaksthe voices of birds are so sweetman's ears shatter to hear them(do you think they are birds sirso high so incredibly cold)the pinnacles crack the sky sirthe white of the snow's so intenseit splinters into magical coloursso crystalline so agonising so raremen have to breed a new faithto be fit to believe themsince my uncle jack spoke sirthere's no other place in the worldthat has meaning for methat's where i want to gobut how do i get there
if you'll take my advice boyget a set-square and a good six inch rulerand polish your shoesthe rest will look after itself
thank you sir thank youyou make it all sound so easy
that's what i'm here forwho's next
sir there's this boyhe's not just an ordinary boybut he comes from the cloudsand his eyes are a blue you can swim inhe came to my bed in the nightand i'm having his baby oh sirit won't be an ordinary babyi'm the luckiest girl in the worldwhen he's born (you see sir i'm sure
proverbs of hell
9
it'll be a prince of a boy) we'll allgo away to this house in the cloudswhere there aren't any dirty jobs to be donemy husband will be home all daywe have so many castles to buildout of dreams - but you haveto be able to keep up with your dreams(so my fine husband says) or thecloud will get angry and rainand fall to the earthand if you've been touchedby a cloud-man you have towander in space and bepecked at my meteorsand laughed at by space menwho write dirty things on their windowsoh sir if i want to liveall my life on a cloudtell me what the best dreams are made ofand how i can dream them
if you'll take my advice girllearn to knit and conjugate verbsand squash in your bosom a littleand i can see up your skirtthe rest will look after itself
thank you sir thank youyou make it all sound so easy
that's what i'm here forwho's next
sir don't try to stop mei'm going down to the core of the earthi know it's been done as a storybut i mean it for realyou see sir the assumption of peoplewho ought to know better is thatif there were a way down someonewould have found it by nowbut in my backyard sir is a holeemitting the foulest of odoursmy mother swears it doesn't belong to this earthbut to me sir it's the smll of hot stewsa thousand times strengthened and i askwhat is the hole doing there - is it chancei should find it who have always believedi should unravel the mysteries of manby penetrating to his physical centrethe mathematical chances of that sir are nili know i have to go down that holeso i'm starting tomorrow - from your knowledgeof all things have you something to sayof the technical problems i might faceand the right kind of tools to take with me
if you'll take my advice boyfor anything to do with the eartha garden fork and a hoeand a study of the wars of the rosesare good enough to get on withand naturally personal hygiene is helpful
proverbs of hell
10
the rest will look after itself
thank you sir thank youyou make it all sound so easy
that’s what i’m here forwho’s next
sir i don’t want to go very farbut i need to worm my way into peopleyou see sir my mother’s deadand my father who’s blindhas to live by his witsif you’re blind sir peopletry to play you for a suckerand my father’s determined toturn his affliction to richesby twisting the greed of tormentorsup their own stupid arses (i likethe way he puts it don’t you sir)so lily (he says) you’re at schooland teachers are the wisest of peopleask yours for the gift of the gaba practical manual for snippingthe bollocks off bastardswho are gouging your teeth outor for winkling the tits (right fromunder their noses) of toffee-eyed tarts who have their handdown the front of your trousers –in short lily girl (from the arse’s henhole)how i con them and screw them in onei’m too old for polish (he says)it’s you and solomon your teacherwho’s got to work out the pattersqueeze him and see what he comes
so i’m here sir – to put it politelyi’ve to reach to the genitals of of people and filch all their seedssneak in their ovaries at nightand run off with the eggshow do i go about that (i’m wideopen for the dirtiest suggestions)
if you take my advice girlread the merchant of venicelearning the quality of mercy off by heartfind out about litmus paper and what happenswhen you introduce carbide to inkand wear a school tie when you next speak to methe rest will look after itself
thank you sir thank youyou make it all sound so easy
that’s what i’m here forwho’s next
and who’s next
and who’s next
proverbs of hell
11
exuberance is beauty
o i’m a dirty buggermy arm’s in a slingmy nose is bentmy hair’s falling outand i make the birdies sing
in a pub one eveningthis tart with a crooked mouthi squeezed her tits in the publicand soon was traveling south
o i’m a dirty buggeretc
fat joan was in the cowshedsloshing out the shitafter more than ninety minutesshe couldn’t get enough of it
o i’m a dirty buggeretc
jenny was coughing blood upmen never asked her namewhen i took her in the caféshe cried when the cocoa came
o i’m a dirty buggeretc
sally was a bag of cancershe peed herself for painbut christ when i treated her in margateshe begged it again and again
o i’m a dirty buggeretc
i was a lonely sod onceand everyone pissed on metill i saw many who needed my giftsso i waxed abundantly
o i’m a dirty buggeretc
so gal if nobody loves youhave scabs where your face should besend a card and open your legsand have a fucking good man to tea
o i’m a dirty buggermy arm’s in a slingmy nose is bentmy hair’s falling outand i make the birdies sing
proverbs of hell
12
prudence is a rich ugly old maid courted by incapacity
prudence my loveeach time you invite me to teai wonder do i have the appetitefor what ihope you are requiring of me
prudence my loveare you really trying to sayover the sickly cream cakesi can’t eatthat you desire me to stay
prudence my lovewhat can i read in the signsyour eyes and hands throw outas we talki’m lost in your guide-lines
prudence my lovei’ve forced myself to live upto your manner so why do i feelsometimes idisgust you like a cracked cup
prudence my lovewhen my arm brushed your chestin the hall were you shockedout of frightor crying aloud to be kissed
prudence my lovewhen the napkin dropped to the floorand we both bent to retrieve itour heads touchedwhy nearly-run through the door
prudence my lovewhy did you sit down on the bedwhen we went up to see the newcarpet – wereyou out-of-breath or excited
prudence my loveyou’ve lived on your own so longknow nothing of men – you makeme nervousto speak should what i feel be wrong
prudence my lovewe’re both old and equally plainit should loosen our tongueswhen i leavei dread you won’t ask me again
prudence my loveit’s easy to guess i’m not muchgood at love’s intimate thingsbut i hate
proverbs of hell
13
it when you shrink from my touch
prudence my loveaway from your side is so coldat tonight’s farewells whisper (please)i need youand give me your hand to hold
***expect poison from standing water
itake me for instance
i thought there were ways outi’ve just checkedthey’ve gone
i’m a pondi’ve got this green fuzzcreeping over my skin
there was this monster in mesomewhere – i’m surei’ve felt him thrashingabout in the dark waters
i once reported sightingschrist i rememberfrenzies of activitiesnot so very long ago
that’s when there were boats aboutand people on the shorewaving their arms and pointingi was somebodyon the move
then it stoppedsome thing gave out in the deepif i’m waterthere wasn’t anywhere for water to goi wasn’t coming from anywhere
so i sit at homecan’t reador take an interest in a thingdrift from room to roomgo away peoplei think i’m having a dead babyanyway the fish are coming to the topbloatedi can’t make out any monster down therescuttled in mid-dreams(poor sod to stomach that muck)
today the mat started going mouldymy skin smells of waterlog
each time my tongue fartsmy daughters wilt into silence
the cats spew up the saucer of green slime
proverbs of hell
14
left as a sample by the milkman
(frogs bewildered in the rusheslook done out of their homes)
i hate tomorrowits decayed breath its miasmawhere i can’t flow deniesits existence
time is this green fuzzleave me alone i don’t want to swimi fidget in my own stagnationi’ll bubble and spit on anyone who comes
except king arthurjoin me dying dreamercome with the piss of factoriesthe day’s excretadown to the old bikesthe broken bedsteadscrashed cars andbrand-new fetusesthe dirty hand thatsnatched excaliburhas dragged him to my bed(forget about the bargeand the three queensthere’s no going anywherepublic transport’s had itand at the bottom of the wateris all today’s shit)
there are no exitsno niles may be startedwe have been bought outby the green fuzz
why wriggle arttake a mouthful of poisonand give over man
iitake you for instance
you have moved up fastin your shining worldsmooth sod (duck’s back)
trained to the lasteyelash to reject grit(neat flick to off)
you waltz through shitit runs from youinto the gutter
you have been bornnot to take the smellinto the house with you
your mouth’s a wine-butt
proverbs of hell
15
white tableclothssigh with goodies
your thin white fingerscrawl among them takingtheir discreet suck
smooth elegant creepthousands of one manquietly gloating into
strategic positionsi meet you everywhereyou take interviews
by bland storm – you havea feel for the emptyimpressive answer
but mostly your bosswill be you too (nothingis ever difficult -
a sign and you’re in)smooth lounge-suitedlizard – your talisman
is calm incompetenceshift only in circleschoose ideas with no
bones in them (have beenfilleted of your ownbackbone since schooldays)
when you want protectionmarket your softcold hands for pity
let your eyes shinewith a dab or two ofthe right shade of hurt
you now hold most ofthe commanding heightsthe people love you
like synthetic creamgreedy/no-nonsense/ruthless/vulgar men
aren’t safe with their ownneed you as their memberthe sick beg you for
a touch of your dry handthe lonely trade pensionsfor your tapped smile
industrialists flock toyou like fat pigeonsto one-eyed nelson
proverbs of hell
16
(you put up with the shitsince it limes your ego)you run our schools –you
breed on office carpetsyou milk factories – arethe professional cream
the world is translatedthrough you – your featuressuffuse the telly
your manner is the hearth of the nationevery door from our
problem goes through youwe buy your furnituresuffer your taste
on our walls – defer toyour etiquette – swear bythe cut of your clothes
you are the sugar-coatedpill (the soft drug) res-pectable oral sex sucking
us off from ourselvesyou are the earnestcentre of a joke world
(you own the jokes)you are the progress-imagethe liberal image
the image of the sleekslick in-man of thein-places at all times
you crumble the cookiesmister – you give the say-sofinally on everything
that wants to be doneyou know how everything isyou have your fingers
in the juiciest plums – evenwhen you kill you say yourhands don’t need washing
you argue with yourselfperpetually (in yourvarious guises) but the
cup mustn’t get crackedthe decanter must be passed decorously (cutlery counts)
ties imperative – truth isbest packed in civilitiesform suffocates all
proverbs of hell
17
FORM SUFFOCATES ALL
o smooth sod (duck’s back)enoch’s bastard greekto your thebes – the bovver boys
are your pet mice – you usethe whole world to fetchyour two sunday newspapers
and where there’s troubleyou magic the passwordto part the crowd (you’re tall
and glib) you’re pitchingand smoothing – tossing andsmoothing in there without
a hair dislodged (i betyou were close to hitler brushing his
lapels – picking the crumbsfrom his pockets – i betyou were up hirohito’s arse)
the greek junta’ll love youand vorster’ll have hisorchestra of you grinding
away at apartheid’s bonesyielding best mealyou’ll slip it in our diet
you own washingtonyou cram whitehallthe russian rtevolution
‘ll have been made out to youalmost since the beginningyou slum in south america
when mao set the youngon you you began screamingat once the world over
as if your balls were on firethat scream (you are at painsto point out) was impartial
you bank in swivel chairssplash about in paper – doteon wall-maps – poke computers
rub yourself off on rocketskeep an aquarium of nerve-gasesyou store petitions out of harm’s way
you are the reactionthe immaculate slimecoveting the surface
proverbs of hell
18
of the deadwater worldyou give off metallicodours (you rot the air)
your blood is green-grayand cold – smooth cold sodyou are already sf
iiilake eriewhy not as a joke one nightpick up your bed and walkto washington – sleepyour damned sleep in its streetsso that one bright metallic morningit can wake up to the stenchand fermentation of fleshthe gutrot of nerves – the blood’sgreen effervescence so activeyour skin has a job to keep it all in
isn’t that what things with the palsyare supposed to do – lovely lakegive the world the miracle it waits forwhat a laugh that would be
especially if washington lost its temperand screamed christ lake eriei don’t even know what to dowith my own garbage
pollution is just one of those things
go on lake eriedo it tonight
one thought fills immensity
i you are not here
the bed rides awayfrom the stretchof my legsinto miles of spaceaeons of wilderness
ii i love you
the thoughtknock’s at your heart’sdeath’s doorand asks
what happened to greg
iii fuck
hitting my finger
in vietnam
proverbs of hell
19
a soldier snarls itas the bulletplops in his gut
stuck in antarcticathe girl sighs itwistfullyto the king penguin
as thebishop saidto the actressin thecut version
in the voida starmillions of years outcatches the echoesand marvels
still the god of gods
iv i am
and spendthe rest of my lifein a comatrying to imaginewhat the world isif i am not
v there is a god
i belchacre upon acreof cotton wooland there is stillnot enoughfor his beard
vi victoria lives
her arselike an invertedfat heartpresses heavily downon the livingand blows foul windsacross five continents
vii be quiet
if children listenedwhat a terribleand immense silencewould engulfthe chattering of adultsinto which
proverbs of hell
20
they would have to poursuch a quantity of sensethey would go mad
viii she is dying
how do you takethat face out of the roomwhen it is therelaughingand talking about next year’sholiday
ix i know you
i have been in your bodyand sat at the rim of your mindi have listened to your seaand peered to your mountain topstrolled over your downsand mapped your valleysi have walked your streetssought flowers among your grasses
what landmarks could i recognize in the dark
i’ve collected a few of your mind’s trinketsbut do toenail clippings make the toe
your mind plunges to the centre of your earthwhen i first met you i called outi’m still waiting to catch that echo
what i know of youyou give me in a handouthow many solar systems have you got shut awayin your spare rooms
x tell the truth
said the earthas the mountains writhed and writhedcaught out in the lie of the landthat went very much against their grainthe earth couldn’t understandfor where she was accustomed to beingno pimple had erupted on her tonguefor ages
xi don’t do that
shockedthe sun stoppedpicking his nosethen wonderedwhy the mousewas squeakingso fiercely
proverbs of hell
21
at the ant
xii tomorrow never comes
today has used that gagsince the beginning of timeto keep his own mittson the fruits of power
and it still works
think how many innocenttomorrows have beenbutchered for the sakeof that chestnut
it needs to be stated at the outset that this poemsets out to explore what really could be going on in townbut (sad fact) never manages to make the break from homewhich may be the pointlike jumping in the air in order to fall down
there are echoes that could usefully be dug up first
a sad fact
meat can't be eatenof beasts naturally deadyou can't feed a revolutionon people who die in bed
(and its afterthought)
there's this terrible conflictbetween meand my pillowi want to spill my bloodand have it too
another dig into the dark (with the torch craftily oni am therefore i cheat)this may help to explainwhat is about to go on and yet fails to come offit has to be a lament
lament
what a privilege it is to beamong the sufferingi sit in my comfortable chair
proverbs of hell
22
and nobody twists my arm
what a mark of respect it is to beamong the poori've always had shoesand no one drops a shilling in my hat
what a noble thing it is to beamong the dyingi travel daily to the city by traindeath has not looked in my compartment
what a disgrace it is to beborn normalcondemned to work regularly and hardunpitied and unconsoled
which causes one or two other old roots to achenormality bugs me
the normalside of me hates it whereas the abnormalis dying to come in and sit by the fire
normal
you have raped your sisteryou have stabbed your motheryou have battered a decrepit blindcrippled sick widow to death with hobnailed
boots onyou have fucked umpteen women in one nightand still had spunk to spareyou have written hamlethow ordinary can you get
you have done nothing interestingimportantexciting in your whole lifehow extraordinary
what i am trying to say is that my heart's in the right place- in my arse (where else should a good radical have it)i pick this last bit of old root out of a gum called dreamerwhich is all any of us can safely be (clos'd by our senses five)the awake life is somehow through the bird and out the other sidehow many houses of parliament do we have to blow up to get throughto that immense world of delight
as blake suggests - go to hell
radical
ban all firesand places where people congregateto create comfortput an end to sleepgood cookingand the delectation of winetear lovers apartpiss on the sun and moon
proverbs of hell
23
degut all heavenly harmonystrike out across the bitter iceand the poisonous marshes
make (if you dare) a better world
my friendsloverscunt-re-members
drive your cart and your plow over the bones of the dead
one of hell's proverbstranslated to earthby lovable willy blakewho stands in the eternal nudeclutching his etching tool in one handand joy in the other
a
long
long
pause
and
then
.
.
.
hurry people hurrypulling down parliamenthouse still in sessionmembers agreeingwithout a divisionto be interred in the vaults
let posterity seewhat a fart-assing lothas had the run of the country
(their last decent gesturethe only one i can think of)
democracy is dead
no man noit's just coming alive
long live democracy
and the house of lords
proverbs of hell
24
the drill's already inchipping away at their lordshipssome have been stone for yearsthe rest will cool fastwhen the heat's off
what plans for the site
a coffee-house a discoa pub an arbour for loversa nursery in place of the lordsan open-air talk shopa man-in-the-street's instant theatreit's going to be great manand with the anarchists in chargeit'll be all highly organised
palace invadedqueen unemployed
sign a petitionif you're sorry for the poor old birdlooking for her all daygone astray in the passagesnot been down them before on her own
they'll let her haunt itwhen she sorts herself out
building's been donated for funstratford (east) will be in tomorrowgetting the feel of the place
meanwhile the guardsare making a biton the sidegiving rideson their horses old ladiescountrywidecoming inby the coachloadto march up and downin their bear-skins
is it going to get rough
don't worry auntykick up your legsas you did on hiroshima day forty fivelet yourself gobe serious tomorrow
today isthe day of the peopletoday we aredriving our cart and our plowover the bones of the dead
but how many deadhow many more dead
proverbs of hell
25
don't worry auntyno one will want to kill you
* * *
dear motheri'm thinking of starting a revolution tomorrowlittle's got out about it yet but on our sidewe've got it more or less plannedwe don't think the establishment will give us very much troublewhen they see which side of the fence the people will fall(we assume of course the people are with us)
but motheri can't stop being afraid of the dead
*
dear sonyou're not fit to grow upuntil you stop being afraid of the deadthe dead are the biggest shit-shovellers in creationthey'll lie till eternityor are you more scared of the dying
people die by incompetence in our factoriesdo the industrialists drop their money and weep
people are butchered on the roads in their thousandsdo we bury the roadsare the car-works places of mourning
people are screwed up by loneliness and left to die in our citiesdo their neighbours stop laughing
how many people does poverty rot in a yeargovernments grow fat and the rich continue to cushion their mansions
the world is a killing and dyingofficialdom kills with a deadly indifferencehypocrisy kills and smiles to hide itkilling is done every day in our nameit's the only way we know how to live
so do what you have topeople will die of it anywayno matter how careful you arepeople will die if you don't do it
my sonthe dead are just bonesit was flesh held the magic
so do as blake says
as for the dyingthey're bastardswhen it comes to the crunchthey only care for themselves
so as for the dying
proverbs of hell
26
che sera sera
but my sonplease for my sakemake sure it doesn't have to be you
* * *
out of bones we make bonemealout of bonemeal we grow the futurethe future in the name of the people
in the name of the people caesar conqueredin the name of the people napoleon rodein the name of the people stalin murderedin the name of the people hitler murdered the jews
so they saidso they said
in the name of the people todayit's the system we're hacking to piecesin the name of the system caesar conqueredin the name of the system napoleon rodein the name of the system stalin murderedin the name of the system hitler melted the jews
and the name of the system was (from the beginning) is (now)
and (ever) shall beunless the people do something about it
authority
today we shall make authority stand on its headtoday we are reversing the bloodflowtoday we intend that authority shall crawl up its
own arseand (overcome in the fumes)disintegrate into putrid but evanescent fartsand the sea shall speak rude words to the mountain
springwho has trickled his orders downhill all those
yearsthus putting the idea into one man's headthat from a height he could piss on anothertoday we are warning the ivory castlesthe common grass is standing up in the windand soon will be running green fingersup their lily-white walls
and with luck we shall be doing it with love
(i think we ought to have some news flashes hereto give a little feeling of the daft atmosphere)
S HANDS CASTLE LORDS ON FIXED I H N
E WINDSOR TO EX- LIVING CL OT M
proverbs of hell
27
E ER S
M B I N M T O Y U S V M I O N L T A - E I I AN E
D C T G R T S A
CARS BANNED FROM R T E H R
M T E U A S STREETS OF BIRMINGHAM T KA P C E L AF V I AYG SAYSPROMINEN ANUA T R D T M O U N T O Y
TEARS AS THE ARMY HANDS IN ITS MANHOODAND GOES HOME TOITS MUMS
MILLIONAIRESB AE NG DGAR LANCS AND YORKSS AGREE TO SCUTTLE THE
SIGN PLEDGE P TO WORK FOR
A wEB O canNotLI coNdoneTI thIsON divisioN
O F M O N E Y bEtween
uS
LORD PROVOST
o H f
EDI G
proverbs of hell
28
THE NBURLORD'S APPEARSDAY INTHENUDEOBSER- SAYS HE'SVANCE DETERMINEDTOSOCIETY BE IN ON THEMAKING PLANS ACT FROM NOW ON (WHAT'SFOR A CALLEDLOVE HOL--IN DINGON HISSUNDAY OWN!)
i tell you it's getting out of hand
(sorry ladythe poetdidn't thinkit was goingto bethis daft)
not at allnot at allthe cart and the plow are at workthat's all
christ
public servants have stopped workingthere's vandalismlootingfoodshops burned to the ground
christ again
somebody ought to take charge
don't be stupidthe people are in charge
then somebody ought to go and tell the people
o look freda over therecoming up out of the manholesfilthy and stinking crippleswith running sores on their mouthsand that one's got a boil in his eyeo freda they're coming up everywheresurely they don't belong to the westo freda they're crawling with liceor something and they're actuallytouching the clean people
(what dread hands)good honest middle-class peoplewho've only come into town to seewhat's going on (can you blame them)o freda we ought to go homeyou can't reason with that scumhow can we ever hope to cope with themwithout the old kind of orderat least it's brushed them under the carpet
proverbs of hell
29
freda what are you intending to say
i'll ask them to join in the dance
what dance
start dancing mabeland i'll ask them to join in the dancethey're only people like uskind sir will youwon't you come and join in the dance
fuck the dancebut how about a bit of you ladyhow about a bit of your titnow all you tarts is suddenly freei've never tasted your kind of cuntdon't mind the pong on my handsit's good honest shitand i'm kind of specialwith this ooze coming out of my eari'm not expecting you to lick it
not feeling she was ableto agree to the kind sir's requestfreda went home with mabelwith half a bad tooth in her breast
women are being raped who've dreamt of it for yearsmen are raping who've never had chance to say boo to a goosechildren are learning what nasty men get up to on a bag of sweets
and screaming because although it's nice they think it's theproper thing to do
men who manfully behave as they're supposed to (in the traditionset by st george except when he too was having a bit on the sly)and try to put an end to the raping and indecent assaulting arebeing (with astonished upset or just blank looks on their faces)
killed
yes men are being killedand it's happening in england
women are being killedand it's happening in england
two streets away from where i'm now standinga young girl has just been killed
and it's happening in englandpeople are being killed in the name of the people
and it's happening in the name of the people of england
christ you expect this sort of thing in northern irelandbut not here in the living room of england
stop it you stupid buggerswhat are you trying to provein the name of the peoplewhat are you trying to prove
that the people are nameless
* * *
proverbs of hell
30
there was a dreamthat today was the day of jerusalemwhen the bones of the dead got up earlyand shifted their decayed flesh awayall the muck of the backstreets was liftedthe grimy dried blood from factory chimneyswashed off in a five-minute showergrass (as the poet said) came backinto places called green and the peoplewho since ever they could rememberhad been wearing concrete blocksstrapped to their heads suddenly sawthat if they undid the buckleon the top of their block their burdenwould fall in the ocean and be drownedit was that kind of dreamand today was to be that kind of day
and think of the worms at workin six hundred and forty membersthink of the humusthe fertility-powerthe beautiful loamthe seed to be sownthe ripe golden wheatfeeding on the past votes of the peoplethink of the breadin the fresh mouths of children
it's not thatthe girl is deadmr gregorywe accept thatit's the crimeof her once-livingthat has burnedsuch a holefrom the topof this houseto its earth
i tell my wifeforget itignore itwalk round itas you movethrough the roomsbut you can'tmr gregorythe hole's taken rootthe soil's too goodit's pushed backthrough the floor-boards and ceilingsits girth is enormouswe've been afraidof a morning tolook where it's grownit's daftbut it's true
proverbs of hell
31
the hole livesand it feedsand it growsit's all the house is
and mr gregorymay i tell yousomething which hurtsvery much - duringthe nights or maybein our dreamsbut in both ourdreams (understand)the hole being the girl(well that's obviousand crude toowe're crude people)the hole cries out
is there nothing elsein this house to eat
we shake with angermr gregoryreally so - we wakewith it sweatingwhy should our girlwho ate us out ofhome and heart(not food of courselove - it's lovethat the anguish is)then go awaywhy should she cheat usand come backstill trying to feedon our heartsagainst our willshe is deadbut she shouldnow let us live
oh mr gregoryhow do you get ridof such a holeravening the skythe sun the wholefeast of existenceexcept by jumpingin it yourself
she smiles at that thoughtmr gregory
in the fresh mouths of children the breadand think of the wisdom shared out in their bonesthe wisdom of six hundred and forty prime native brainsresurrected to safeguard the future
there was this dreamthat turned into a nightmarewe had come to the endof the sins of our fathers
proverbs of hell
32
the scaffolding erectedto patch up the walls of our liveshad become the walls of our livestoday we have been stripping the scaffoldhow ugly the walls look
bring back the bones of the deadre-hallow their gravesthe plow should keep its dirty noseout of the churchyard
* * *
standing in what should be the busiest streetof one of our most populous citiesi can't happily envisage the futurei am alone in a world of suspicion and silencethe people are sullen have cut off their eyesand are bolting themselves in their homesthey won't open up for their own grandmothersi don't think it was meant to be like thishas the mass crucifixion of our christs been in vainis such freedom as our scatterbrains proclaim itever worth it - equality has been such a borei carry the feeling away with me todayfrom this sorry macabre street(yesterday what an ocean of laughter)that we've sold all our choices but oneto re-elect as quickly as we daresix hundred and forty new members ofjolly old parliament - let them choosea premier we can be safe with (the morereactionary the better if i stand in progress today)and authority that will be a right bastard with those who oppose itin the name of the law and our leaders and the silent majorityand if you have any sense you'll add a fervent amen(i think that's impartial don't you)
nightthe hair of the street stands on endin the thick hand of silencelamplight and darkness flickknives in the shadowseyes wait at windows to stabthe least shiver of movementno one steps out of doorways
people madleader sane
people don't haveleader's brain
leader work forgood of people
people stupidleader keep all
once again it begins to seem as if
there are some who can ruleand the rest daren't
proverbs of hell
33
young must have oldignorant must have wisepupil must have teacherslow must have quickblack must have whitewomen must have menawkward must have smoothnovice must have the expertpeople must have bosses
he's a gentlemanhe's got classof course he was born to itthey have it in their bloodyou can tell by the way they talkthey understand these thingsthey just do
they put us in our boxeslabel us give us stringsyou-shalls and you-must-notsa moral code old-boundfor all ven(i)alitiesthen go off to theirland-above-the-rulesand laughing playwith themselves effetely
freedom has never beena giggle in tight boxesup on the heath thoughshoot as much as you likelean back in the sun andboast of your humble beginnings
if you don't have money or birth or power(you have power but you don't know how to use itthat is you think you have to use it according to their ideas of how
you should use it so you always bugger it up)you can still have all these dreams
in the utter darknesswhere you can't speakbecause someone somewhere has put an instrument on your tongueand is reading it remotely in some highly expensive laboratoryfor the way it reflects the millions of dirty thoughts you have
subliminally every secondand then registering it in the dirty-thought bankfor use against you (for defensive purposes only you understand)when the time comes to refuse to grant you a purity pensionor a licence to breed death-watch beetles in the skin of a human scrotumin that utterly silent darknessyou have above all this dream of
technology with its claws clippedexperts chained to the common man
and not let out of his sight
in this dream you see it all clearly
power for the expert is
proverbs of hell
34
an atom bomb in a kitchen sinksay to the housewife
old man complain about the cookinguse itkids get under your feetuse ityou just hate washing upuse it
say to the beei bless your involuntary stingto cripple the whole human race
experts have vicious fall-outshould be contained within thick walls of leadexperts can do more damage than nerve-gasencase them in concretegive them their liberty shipand dump them in mid-ocean
(they may escape even thencreep back in our beds in the nightit's a risk always presentsuperman was an expert himself)
but keep in radio contact
totally cut off from his powerthe expert may yet save the world
as long as we refuse him our trust
in the harsh morning thoughdreams get laryngitisreal words are difficultall the eggs are brokenand every department of your body is off sickyou can only think of spinning round and roundlike a dog driven mad by his tailcrying
what do we do nowwhat do the people do now
your neighbour hates you
i'm sick of hearing you go on about the peoplewho are the bloody people you keep on about
and out of her pocketwhere they have been smelling around for such a questionjump the ready contenderswith their answers written outlearned by heartand practised non-stop since they saw this poem blooming in my garden
and about to be picked
i am the peoplesaid the bishop
the people speak with the voice of godi am the voice of godq e d - i am the people
proverbs of hell
35
i am the peoplesaid the public school boy
the people are the publicthe public go to public schoolsq e d - i am the people
i am the peoplesaid the duchess
duchess is a popular way of servingpotatoes
potatoes are a common foodthe people are commonand what is of the people is popular i am both popular and commonq e d - i am the people
i am the peoplesaid the racehorse owner
i have two legsa horse has four legsa horse is not the peopleq e d - i am the people
i am the peoplesaid the millionaire
my money i'm told breeds faster than thechinese
in the human-race there are only people andnot-people
the people breed faster than the not-peoplethe chinese indisputably are peopleanything that breeds faster than the
chinese must be people alsomy money therefore is peoplei am my moneyq e d - i am the people
the peoplesaid the people
i don't knowperhaps they live next door
the peoplesaid the people next door
no they don't live herehave you tried the big house up the road
the peoplesaid the people in the big house up the road
no they did live herebut they moved away when they came into moneyor was it when the blacks camei'm afraid this is not the house it wasare you sure they exist any more
q e d - the only people who are definitely not the peopleare the people
man it's perfectly simplepeople are in the eye of the beholder
authority says
proverbs of hell
36
as far as we are concerned(and we are concerned only in so far as it suits us)the people may exist but can't live
whereas the people the revolution is interested in(and needs for its own justification)those people may live but can't exist
who sucks the good egg
* * *
from the beginning it has been like thisjust imagine one desperate midnighti the people get up and go for a piss(that's my excuse)and stay thereamusing myself one way and another
along come these friendsof the people (so they tell us) singing outthey need my talents (for their own endsno doubt crafty sods)but i'm not budgingtill i know what it's really about
then comes this music somewhere up aboveheavenly choirs god and this sweet bird's voicestrip-teasing in the dark a china-plateful of loveif i'll be on her sidetell my friends to push offand help the police
by handing over a list of their names addresses occupations detaileddescriptions including all scars hobbies perversions and anyother usable dirt
it's up to me - it's a free choiceif i don'twill i hand in my own name address occupation detailed description
including all scars hobbies perversions and any other usable dirtnot bother to report for work in the morning because the boss won't want
an undesirable turd smelling the place outnot to be surprised of course if the air starts getting a bit too expensive
to breathein short when did i last have the plague
no wonder i'm happyi'm the hardest wearing mat in the business
just imagine you were the peoplewhat would you do
* * *
what do we doyou can't rely on the peoplewhy didn't they come out yesterdayand dance in the streetsas we asked them toinstead of sitting indoorshoping to see it all on telly
proverbs of hell
37
we knew it would be like thati thought somebody had worked it all outall contingencies covered
yes but only on the backs of old cigarette packetsbesides everything has changed - changed utterly
it should have been beautifulit's just terrible
the new day is full of stormcloudsfloods banging at windowslovers pretend to be sleepingtheir arses swished by the waterstealing every inch of their clothes
the new day is knocking down housestossing this corpse upon this onegesture of loving desecrationthe things of life take overmake signs towards man's re-erection
the new day is farting round dustbinsclinging to its dirty warm dreamslove needs its rickety fire-escapesnew people must have shit in their eyesin the main streets the old games keep going
the new day is crippled christ look at its crutchgive it a penny mister you can sleep wellit can't bake bread or peel potatoesof love it's learned from its old mangetting out of bed it'll be kicked in the balls
blake said
(oh fuck blake)
he saiddrive your cart and your plow
carts and plowshe must be bloody daftdoesn't he knowwe're an industrialised societywe don't have any carts and plows(not spelt like that anyway)
over the bones of the dead
driving about over bonesthat's just gruesomea kind of black magic
it's that exactly
his cart must have beenone of those old bone-crunchers
blake believed in the devil
it's not on old girl
proverbs of hell
38
where would we get these dead bonesand what would they tell us
witch doctors use bones
this is civilisation
i don't trust this bugger blakehe's obviously a nutcase
his time called him madbecause he walked around in the nude
in the nude
oh
well
perhaps he's worth listening to thentell us again what he said
the thing is how do we turnthis wretched capitalist heaveninto blake's hell
come on blakey boyspill the nude beans
blake's bones are white in the sunshinedancing the dance of the madcome here blake's bones to the mincerbut they're too wideawake to be had
won't you ever learnproverbs are past honeysaying to the futurego and root for your own wisdom
ok everyonewe're now going to root for some wisdomstart lookingand if you find anythingcome and tell mei'll be in the fig and crumpetgiving a bit of lip to the barmaidin the quest for wisdom of course for wisdomnothing like barmaids for wising you upbut hurry up pleaseit's getting near closing time
eurekai was sitting in my bathwith the radio full onwhen the boy next door(and such a nice boy)started banging on the wallhe banged so hardthe wall caved in(an accident i'm sure)and he and the walljoined me in the baththe water spilled over the top
proverbs of hell
39
and i screamed o i screamedeurekahere i'd been worried aboutthe main thing in lifeand here it wasin my bathlove thy neighbourwe just lay on the walland i didand i've never been the same girl since
that's just biblical shitwe want something for nowsomething new
do you know where there are any new people
i'm sorry love i've got to get my bert's teahe'll be home at a quarter to six
they've knocked down the houses of parliament
have they loveand bert'll knock down meif his tea's not ready on time
eurekathat's what we're missingthe tea that has to be ready on timethe people have their own kind of orderwe must use thatand build on it build on itquicklyif only we have the time
ordershe's an ignorant old woman
that's what we've missedrevolutions should be builton ignorant womenit's the only revolutionin the long runthat is likely to work
there is earth in ignorancethere are things that grow in ignorancethere are things that stir and beginthe long road to becoming a flowerwhen the sun and rain give the winkin her kind of ignorance
somewhere in ignorancea seed is waiting to turna tendril is hoping to feel its way outa plant is bracing its musclesa tree is coming up to countdowna house is imagining its bricksa mountain is composing its anthema world holds its breath
ignorance has its nose rammedso cruelly against the cold stone
proverbs of hell
40
that its bone grinds itits breath warms itits snot waters itits flesh feeds itits cavities attract the microbesits hairs become grassits blackheads and pimples suddenly go popand by morning are tender green songs
turn the disc overlet's have the spring side againi'm in the mood to relive itit starts with renewal
love isno morelove saidand lovedied
hope istoo farhope saidand hopecried
i amnot yoursi saidand ilied
you areall mineyou saidand yousighed
love isonce morelove saidand lovereplied
isn't the next oneeaster egg
i don't want to live any more in an old way
yes it is
to be a socialist wearing capitalism's capa teacher in the shadow of a dead headmastera tree using somebody else's old sap
i want to build my future out of new emotionsto seek more than my own in a spring surroundto move amongst people keen to move outwardsputting love and ideas into fresh ground
who will come with me across this bordernot anywhere but in the bonds we maketaking the old apart to find new order
proverbs of hell
41
living ourselves boldly for each other's sake
then love is
if you ask me today what love isi should have to name the people i loveand perhaps because it's springand i cannot control the knife that's in metheir names would surprise me as much as you
for years i have assumed that love is bloodya thing locked up in house and a family treebut suddenly its ache goes out beyond meand the first love is greater for the new
this year more than any otherthe winter has savaged my deepest rootsand the easter sun is banging hard against the windowthe arms of my loves are flowering widelyand over the fields a new definition is running
even though the streets we walk cannot be alteredand faces there are that will not understandwe have a sun born of our mutual longingswhose shine is a hard fact - love is a new land
new spartans
i haven't felt this young for twenty yearsyesterday i felt twenty years olderthen i had the curtains drawn over recluse fearstoday the sun comes in and instantly it's colder
must shave and get dressed - i'm being naggedto shove my suspicions in a corner and get outwhat use the sun if being plagued with new lifei can't throw off this centrally-heated doubt
accept people with ice in their browsare the new spartans - they wait
shall i go with themindoor delights that slowly breed into liesneed to be dumped out of doors - and paralysis with them
no leave itthere's still one morethe need now
the need now is to chronicle new timesby their own statutes not as fag-ends of the oldideas stand out bravely against the surrounding greyseeking their own order in what themselves proclaimfortresses no longer belong by right to an older day
i want to gather in my hands things i believe innot to be told that other rules prevail - there isa treading forward to be done of great excitementand people to be found who by the old lawsshould be little more than dead
this enlightment
is cutting like spring into a bitter winterand there is this smashing of many concrete shells
proverbs of hell
42
a dream with the cheek to be aggressive has assumedits own flesh and bone and will not put up with sleepas its prime condition - life out of death is exhumed
it's the other sideis so disappointingno thanksleave it for now
* * *
order from above(that means hate)has always causedchaos down belowthe people thoughget used to it and say i supposethe buggers up thereknow what they're doing
the law saysof course
why complain thenif order from below(that means love)brings in its wakechaos for those aboveif you rule the roostthough you're not usedto putting up with itall you can think of is i'll show thoseignorant swine whocleans whose boots
the law saysquite right
this has been thereasoning behind mostof the dirtiest games in history
including the law
* * *
come to bed now johni've got to go out
i've got nothing onthe meeting is urgent
come to bed now john
my lips are moist johnthe people are waiting
and my mouth is a grapethere's work to be done
proverbs of hell
43
my lips are moist john
my breasts are full johnthe future is calling
and my nipples are firmfor the sake of all children
my breasts are full john
my thighs hold the heat johnwe must sow the seeds now
and the fig-part is ripethe message is love
my thighs hold the heat john
come in me now johnif i don't go i'm dead
i'll die if you don'tso don't stop me now love
come in me now love
o don't stop me now
get out of my way i'm going through
the grey wall like a hoop round the barrelholds in the churches the grangethe warder with the peaked cap the moustachethe kitchener eyes the pointed fingerdrilling me back back against the tombstone
for this my cenotaph i have paid - am payingmy guts out for a few words' epitaph
this was the man i needn't have been
the gate is a drink when i have no more squares left
call me my lovely from the cleft in the rocksoutside over the plain where the wind howlsits intolerable melodies into the coldand the tree is stuck up like two fingerssplit by a tornado
a wild thing mustthrash and thrash amongst the lost oneswho (man's midnight) have found the gate theirstoned compulsion - you there gynt uponthe farmost crag i am your timid selfcollecting the blood to join you - and brand(my sternest dream) name the depths i muststrip down to if i'm to go your road of ice
i believe beyond the ridge the land is homelythere will be room for those i kip with here
but don't come with me if you don't have to
stay where thegrass is lush meals are comfortablebreeze and lute stay in tunelovers fumble each other by warm wall
(within your smile i am honeycomb - becalmme in nylon sheets those blue lagoons)
proverbs of hell
44
even where our fight is desperate this worldknows how to butterfly my aches and softenthe granites my convictions are built onbut o the gate
the gate in the midst of
ejaculation it stares at me mocking myimpotence - in the hearth of a kiss i hearits satirical latch booming in space
the deepest bell of the inchcape rockhas its fingers on me - the muezzin is formy ear only
the furies of cape hornthe scratch of the mountain goat and theice-deaths of tibet - through the gateand across the plain they lie in wait for me
i must speak to them even if they do lie
the future may well turn out to be the pastthe flint outside the gate the grass insidegynt and brand my lonely bankclerkssycophants to money and the status quo
don't hold me back my dearest i have to go(even if it's the dearth of all i know)
o friends i know itas much as i knowthat blake's cartis driving through my bonesturning them overto catch the warm truththis timewe shall go straight throughthrust forward by the clueof the ignorant woman
today and tomorrowand tomorrow's tomorrowsis ground-workfield-workstreet-workhouse-workpeople-workasking searchingreceiving learningwe are after coal not goldoil not precious stonessalt not elixirs for the high table
don't necessarily acceptwhat the peopletell you about the peopleenquire how such knowledgegot into the people's handsthere is much put there for a purposetraps with gilt springsveneered coffinsdevelop a nose forthe ignorant truthit won't come to the front door
proverbs of hell
45
or be seen in a suit(if it comes in a tie shoot it)it won't wash its feetbecause you are fastidiousit might evendrop out with the shit
don't miss a scrapwe are looking for somethingthat is but hasnever been collatedit's passed between peoplein fragments not often knowna glint in the sunthe rain kissing itit falling into a surprised pool of silenceand away before set onan opening in a roomdeep inside youthat shut outthe light till nowa cry that breakswind in a grinthe news the spermgave the egg as itwaltzed through the doorwhen you touch itor catch itor know that it'scome in the rooma bell ringslights up inside youpreserve iton pain of your lifeand bring it to me
when we have all the partsand know what impels usto kick out the stalein our livesthen we can claim our new world
the people are vanishing my friendswhich is a pitybecause in a worldthat the fewuse for kicksthe people have never yet lived
the message is lovewhich means seeingwith the whole of your beingand wanting the future
friends if we wantto bring the worldto its senses and rightswe must be listenersnot tellers receiversnot leaders - we can'trun a revolution
proverbs of hell
46
on behalf of the peoplewe must be of the peopleand among them - quitour own platformsand grow the hard wayup through the same earthbut alive to the processnot suffering itunaided in darkness
love is the lightwe all need - lighton us
and from us
the message is love
in the giant sizeeverybody uses itlightlyswears by itwill hand it aroundfor the askingit is especiallyavailable for strangersfor sending incharity hampersthe dark side of the world
in the family packetit sometimesdoesn't keep tothe maker's instructionsit can leavemore understainsthan it salveson the whole(if you don't mind the grey)it's a bargain
as a thingfor the smallsyou can dabble with iton sundaysdon't let itget near the heartit can causepalpitationsthe consequent blotchesround the eyesare grim to disguiseand may bring outlaughter in others
free samples are dodgysome do the job wellman the starscouldn't shine whiterbut othersput your hand inyou lose all your fingers
you're a soft touch
proverbs of hell
47
to trust it at allthe face in the advertis laughing its heart outwhen it gets to thepointthe suds scarperin the steaminghard crystala name can be readit meanssomeone is going to die
* * *
knock knockwho's there
friendsfriends who
friends of the peoplewhat do you want
we want to talk to the peoplei am the people
can we come inwhat - this time of night
we want to know about thepeople
it's two o'clock in the morningthe people want to go back to bed
we've come to wake up thepeople
well you've woken me upit's a comfort to know that
so push offand let me go back to sleep
no no we've brought you a message
what is itand be quick about it
the message is loveoh(pause)is that all
yes but it's everythingcan we come in
you should give my wife that messagewe'd like to
she's asleepif we can come in we'll wake
herthat's what we're here for
she's asleep in the bathin the bath
she won't sleep in the bedwhy not
she hates love - that's why notare you giving her the right
kind of loveis there another kind then
it must come from the heart or it's useless
christ mate i've been working from the wrong place
you mean that nipples on a man aren't
proverbs of hell
48
just ornamentyou can get love out of there as well(pause)where do you stick it in then - in her
earholei'm afraid we're getting our
lines crossedyou know of course there's a
revolution going onthat's the most revolutionary thing i've
heard in my lifei'll give her sleep in the bath
it's rather cold on the door-step
if we could come in for asecond
all right mates i've got the messagenow you fuck off and tell my matesthey're all doing it wrongthis house is my private patch
what now friends when you dealtry again with the people remembergo elsewhere they haven't had
your advantages andi'm off to bed trainingpeople blame the systemdon't want they might push youwaking up away from their doorssleep mistaking you foris more door to door salesmen
human the secret is noti'm human to give up
in timego home then they may trust you
i don't care what you thinki love you stilli may be running off over the hillbranding the mountain with a hard willi don't care what you thinki love you still
i don't care what you thinkthe fruits of ourlong love need not turn sournew cultures may improve the floweri don't care what you thinkimprove the flower
i don't care what you thinkour love can livei know the things i want to giveto others hurt you make you restivei don't care what you thinkour love can live
i don't care what you thinkthe world must changelove like all must rearrangeits pieces mutate embrace the strangei don't care what you think
proverbs of hell
49
embrace the strange
* * *
the thing islove your neighbouror hate him(it's up to you)but ask
ask
how did life get from the people to the houses of parliamentwhere did it take the wrong turning
the shit of the earth is its saltstart from that
as you start out on your drivelooking for the wrong turningthrough the deserts of historythe only test of good shitmust be that it tastes like salt
since parliament is an aberrationit has lost its salt tastetherefore the question must be rephrasedwho stole the salt from the houses of parliament
that is if there ever was any salt therean intriguing questionwhich is of course the right answer
salt cannot flow uphilland since the house was set down by an act of the almightyway up in the cloudsit can of course of time only have bent overand reached down in the intended direction of the peoplein the process perhaps getting a little salt on its fingers(hurriedly washed off before meals by the house's own protocol)such salt as may be imagined to be in the house's bloodwas and still must be metaphoric***
concluding paragraphs of the people report
733 today it is possible to apply the shitmus paper test (differing fromlitmus in that it turns red for salts) only to people
734 previous investigations have conclusively proved that institutions donot contain salt
735 even those institutions apparently concerned with the betterment ofconditions for the shit of the earth have (in the course of theirinvolvement with the rules of the game insisted on by the estab-lishment and by their own convictions that to fight an enemy it isnecessary to ape his manner of dress) forfeited their own salt-touch
736 attempts by determined shitters to re-invigorate such institutions withdoses of natural salts have to date failed
proverbs of hell
50
737 therefore since it is our statutory concern to bring the people andwhat machinery of government is necessary into one body and sinceno progress can be expected nationally institutionally or throughany other form of authority for the next million years
738 it is our firm belief that all future attempts to bring a highwaybetween the people and that castle in the air called parliamentmust be made working slowly from the people outwards especiallysince all attempts to run the road down from the clouds have failedby all standards associated with humanity and common sense
739 it is our experience that mountain tracks are thoroughly unsafe beingprey to brigands of avaricious and unscrupulous character who areyet so entrenched with the authority they are protected by lawsthat they themselves have forced into statute and which bring bene-fit (of considerable proportions) to themselves alone
740 there is an urgent need for the road to be commenced from the plain
741 there is an urgent need (if this is to be achieved) for real power tobe translated immediately from the clouds to the plain
742 once this has been accomplished we recommend widespread application ofthe aforesaid shitmus paper test (paper that is soaked in ordinaryhuman excrement symbolising a common love - to be wafted under thenoses of testees and reactions noted) to all those claiming kinshipwith the people so as to determine -
in what manner the desired road may be laid down
what hazards are likely to be encountered
and where in the past turnings and pitfalls of an un-ethical nature have been foisted upon thepeople by pressures and duplicities above
743 there is no doubt whatsoever in our minds that our society (likeexcalibur) is stuck helplessly in the stone and will not be re-leased by strong-arm methods on the part of the establishment-contenders but must await the coming of a kind of poetry the birth of a genuine concern for those who may honestly be calledthe people
744 we ask for a new magna carta to be driven with fortitude over the bonesof the dead one that at present incarcerates us
745 indeed it is not fanciful to say that the people today exist in acharnel house to which they have grown so accustomed they no longerrecognise it for what it is although they are being stifled by itsdead bones
746 we pray for their freedom forthwith
signed by the chairman of the commission (lord people) etc
* * *
like all such reports that unequivocally announcebest apples are rottenit was put to practical use
proverbs of hell
51
sent to the ministry storesand converted to shitmusproviding bumf by the tonfor the test to be put into actiona few men were detailedto get out into the streetsand to appear to be working
with the first hint of excusethe whole thing was stoppedthe commission was abusedin the press (by arrangement)the chairman was certifiedinsane - the new magna carta(on brilliant display for a week)turned to rust in the rainand was soon sold for scrap
dear wife i have nottreated youto the best of husbandsideologybeing a poor bedfellowa god that can't affordto risk its own flesh
terryyou collect the rolls of shitmusfrom the stores
i risk you daily
bill you're driving the carta
for the sake of thewisdom of thefull circle i will haveyour nerves clenchedyour mind uprootedand your blood sobbingits heart up
the orders arethis matter is urgent
words are a sorry bandageand lies plungetheir knife againand again witha murderer's intentionsonly thinly disguisedas a surgeon's
so go as slowas you bloody well can
that we have somehowin our marriage'sdance towards deathturned spouts of bloodinto fountainsstruck loam in the
proverbs of hell
52
clangours of graniteand (with uncertain fingers)blindly spelled out hopei take as your presentthe green throbyou alone are able topropel through the sand-lands of my imagesthrough my cracked tongue masqueradingas a heart
man don't be a cuntthe shitmus paper testis for the likes of us
tears provide the waterflushing the agonythat repeatedlyhas to surge upwardsfrom molten chasms
shut your fucking goband get that carta out
down in that heatwe are forgedand the understandingthat suddenly crows
(here where the light isat its most rawand our fingersfear to touch lightly-as-gnats on to tensed skin)
was made here
or you'll get done
and to it we have to returneach time ourfragility shows throughand we shudder as ifat last there's a fracturethat's done for us both
here's a poorly paid clerkdoing his job properlyand being rewarded by his employerwith a bunch of grapeswhat does the shitmus paper say
it refuses to turn red sayingthe employer is really giving hima bunch of fives right up his hooterand the stupid clerk smiles as ifthe grapes were a symbol of love
the calm coming afteris the mark of our lovehealing is partialbut the hurt is whati must hang on tomarking myself with it
proverbs of hell
53
so the stain mustshow up in futurewhen i lose entrancesand am once more near todeath in the entrailsof my own (intellectually-conceived) dead fog
there's a bloke over therewith his toadin another man's hole
praise them praise themthey're doing their own thingdon't bother with the shitmus paperthey couldn't come redder than that
dear wife i have nottreated youto the best of husbandsbut each time it breaksi mean to do up my loveand get it safely back homeby tomorrow
it has just been announced from the ministrythat the problems facing this nation in its hour of stresscannot unfortunately be solved by application of the shitmus paper testas recommended by the people commission
this morning an irate old womandressed in a tattered union jack and brandishing a scrollwhich she claimed proved her descendancy from sir rowland de boysthe supplier of the parchment for the original magna cartahalted the new carta in its tracksby lying down full length in front of its wheels and cryingover my dead body if you dare
she refused to budge until the carta was withdrawn to its depotto which she followed it calling out in unprintable languagewhich she said afterwards was the text of the original documentdelivered at ten times its normal speed
in the light of this incidentand the public sympathy aroused for her action in the breasts of all
decent peoplethe minister is abandoning the shitmus paper project for the time being
the secretary of the enquiry professor piss has now gone into the countryto relieve himself for two or three dayshis last reported words were
we still haven't found the wrong turningperhaps it's in usbefore we step out of doors it's in us
experts at the ministry are puzzling over the significance of the professor's clearly full-bladdered remarks
and are expecting its meaning to leak out in due course
in your windowi am all light
proverbs of hell
54
if i findyour shutters drawnagainst mei blight into mistthick rainor the miserable dark
your back to meis a hill icannot climbyour face unlita marshsucking me underwhen you bulk mewith deliberate absenceany wind canblow me in the gutter
if when i grasp youyou vanishif when i look for youyou refuse my callthe thing that holdsthe world inflies outwardsand the earth itselfand my heartis all space
* * *
there follows a brief interlude in honour of mr vasko popa(the yugoslav poet who in a short visit to this countryhas stayed a long time)and it will not now take place
this game is called xno one else can play
when the game is overwe have all joined in
those who have not been playinghave to give in an ear
if you don't have an earuse one of those lying about
left over from the last timethe game wasn't played
this game is not to do with earsshooting must be done from the heart
x sits in the middle of the ring - hehas gone for a stroll up his left nostril
how can he seize a left-over earand drag it under the ground
hands up if you have been shot from the heartx comes up in the middle of himself
proverbs of hell
55
in this way the game is over beforeit began and everyone willy-nilly
has had to go homebefore he could put a foot outside
* * *
o bloody foolto thinklife offersa way outfrom the firstbreath taken
o bloody foolto feela world insideis possiblewhen thosewho have theirfingers atyour throatincrease thepressure
o bloody foolto dreamof a gateyou have toget throughwhen that gate isdeath
o bloody foolto believeman canstep out ofhis own skinbecause deepdown he is a poet
o bloody foolto seefreedom asan apple waitingto be pickedand equalityas a matterof man's betterunderstanding of his owndesires
o bloody foolto breathein the vapoursof your ownideasas though they
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56
could waft youout of yourself-madeprison
go home thenstay indoorsbe shut of windowspiss on the sun and moonmuster your dreams on the carpetsmash the old world to deaththere ar least you can win
i live in a lost windit's got into the roomwhere my mind is beleagueredfrom the runs of my fleshwhere feelings whimperpummeled into their own grotesquesi feel sorry for the windas its bits and pieces scrabblesick for the open airwhere the windows should beand there is no doorit desperately sniffs for a draughtjust one bit of cool to show meit knows the way to impossiblesalvation
there are normal voicesoutside being lifted in a fresh windbut the obstinate brick wallthat sucked us in and grew around ushas eaten the light long agoand in the far corner the beastwhere the wind was is trying its clawsit won't be satisfied i feel untilit has mauled everything i love
nothing is savednothingnothing
the wind has run into a grave and nobody will let it come outtrees are picking off their leaves one by one out of pique and exposing
themselvesthe earth won't lend a hand any more in the ritual of making potatoes
nothing is savednothing nothing
towns are gobbling up signposts and moving monuments into the desertstreets are ripping down their names and tying themselves into knotshouses are dragging their bricks away into impenetrable caverns
nothing is savednothingnothing
words are having a thing about exploding way off from their meaningseyes deliberately go crossed when another pair comes near themhands are snapping off their fingers rather than make comforting gestures
proverbs of hell
57
nothing is savednothingnothing
you say when you look at me i am an unrecognisable persononly maggots should crawl out of the corpses of my mammoth ideaslove is a gut the relentless sun is swelling and swelling
nothing is savednothingnothing
unless
in the cool of eveninga face comes to the windowand whispering a nameis asked to come in
get up and go manget up and go
they’ve pinned you to the floorwith their knees on your windpipe
get up and go manget up and go
they've weighted you with stonesand the waters are rising
get up and go manget up and go
they've bound you to the trackand the express train is thundering
get up and go manget up and go
they've dumped you on the mountainand the avalanche is roaring
get up and go manget up and go
they've tied you to a postand the rifles are firing
get up and go manget up and go
unless
in the still of night-timefingers go on journeysbodies are made to move mountainsto change what earth is
they've trapped you in a bunkerand the flames are belching in
get up and go man
proverbs of hell
58
get up and go
they've locked you undergroundand the test bomb is blasting
get up and go manget up and go
they've strapped you to a rocketand its motors are burning
get up and go manget up and go
because they control the worldare you going to let them beat you
get up and go manget up and go
unless
in the freshness of dawnnew streets grow in the heartand people who walk therecan bear to face what they love
what are you so worried for mandon't you have the people on your
side
get up and go manget up and go
* * *
in the darknessa flower does a light in the cornersenses returnthe flower reaches out to be youin silence we crouchsending eyes to each othernothing else moves in the roomoutside is a voidsolid bone(something alien like that)
we rock to a rhythmwe feel towards facesfaces dissolve into fleshand flesh becomes placesand stretches of time beyond answerwe are locked in our rootshere's where the world isand nothing in need of a change
when i am at your placei can understand the drillboring into the earth's crustyear after year interestedin nothing but oil
proverbs of hell
59
when i am at your placei can understand the space-probepushing through emptinessyear after year yearningfor nothing but a planet's pull
when i am at your placei can understand the giant redwoodswelling into the blueyear after year callingon nothing but its own sap
when i am at your placei can understand the boltunderpinning its huge spanyear after year askingfor nothing but its tight nut
when i am at your placei can understand the pistonspurring the machine to actionyear after year relyingon nothing but a sure rhythm
when i am at your placei can understand why edenkept itself to itselfyear after year temptedby nothing but that one apple
when that apple fallsthe ache beginsit's all the morepainful to startwhen you've started and lost before
from what point onyourself haveyou nerveto walk out oris the weathertoo much does thedeep-down offer more
deep-down in meis my beginningif i change meis the world saved
buried in methe ignorant womanfetch her lightand feed her
will a new crycome out of delphiwill the mountainssing back
precisely cried professor piss
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60
you've understood my messagegreat good will come out of thisif we find the right passage
by stepping out of doors i meantdelivered from the caveif his rod's been badly bentwhat chance does a man have
the stupidity of revolutionit can't stop the flow of coursethe only possible solutionis to cock up the tap at source
and we can't do that any morethen we can stop pissingsaid professor pisspissing himself with mirth
into the cave ladsthe hole in the good earth
i'm climbing upinto this dark holewhere they saythe secrets of the universeare nested
i'm a tight fitand water keepsdripping in my eyei feel rather excitedi must say
there's something aheada tiny blob of mooncoming the other wayto meet meapproaching very fastif i stretch outi might just be ableto reach itnow
theregot itor have ii sayi think it's got me
o when i became a prisoneraccording to folk-loreit was my mother barred the windowand nailed the bedroom door
my father stood on the landingwringing his useless handsthen turned on his heel and ran awayto perish in far-off lands
o christ manyou're not far enoughback in the cave
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61
who made the moonsout of what sky
who saidto the ping-pong ballthis isyour water-spout
drive your cartthrough the tunnel of love lovesee where you come fromto know where you'll godrive your cartthrough the tunnel of love
the entrance is lush like a palacethe gates are two halves of a peachas they close they squirt juice on your cart
drive your cartetc
as you move into the spongy darknessa spider creeps over your ballsand your cart stands on end
drive your cartetc
your father smashes your head in with his chopperas you rush up the legs of your motherslimy and babbling to let you come home
drive your cartetc
you scream at the sight of your motherswarming with lovers and bleeding profuselywith gashes they've made in their search for new holes
drive your cartetc
a monster appears tearing hunks off the cunt of yourfavouriite aunt spitting the flesh in your faceas you crawl tortuously past her ripped breasts
drive your cartetc
you wash off at a fountain - the spunk of your unclerubbing himself off with great glee while a boywith spikes in his tongue is joyously licking his arse
drive your cartetc
a dirty old passage protruding with diamonds whichbuffet you cruelly - your grandmother cackles with laughterthe passage constricts and chafes you in a paroxysm of pleasure
drive your cartetc
proverbs of hell
62
your great-grandfather's been chained to the ceilinghis rod's been bolted down to the floor - when your cartpasses and twangs it
ecstatically he cries out for more
drive your cartetc
the kindly old gentleman (your mother's great grandsire)is courteous when you call to see him - he offers youa jar of candied girls' tits and flays you to suck one
drive your cartetc
and this goes on a long time untileveryone's tunnel is the same tunneland everyone's ancestors are playingsuch grotesque (but fulfilling) gameswith their own sexual parts and thesexual parts of every animal in sightthat no one knows who is breeding whomand through what and where did the ideacome from anyway that sex had to do withbreeding this particular species or thatthere's a hole stuff it and be stuffedas many times all at once as nowadaysit would be thought impossible to managethe motto being anything that can beeaten can be fucked and vice versaeating and fucking yourself howeverwas left to the really greats who hadthe world to themselves before manbecame a rulebook and a pencil hadall the orgasms that were necessaryin its hard covers and limp insides
see at the end of the tunnel how abel the bastard came to asticky end sucking too hard and swallowing his ownand sweet cain was accused of ramming it down there
drive your cartetc
see how adam lusting for a bite of eve's applesent his serpent-whopper up rashly to grab it - the applewas torn from eve's flesh and she bled buckets for five days
drive your cartthrough the tunnel of love lovesee where you've come fromto know where you'll godrive your cartthrough the tunnel of love
and it was lovelylovely
* * *
yes mate
proverbs of hell
63
but look mate looki'd love to go through the tunnel of lovei'd love to nibble away at eve's apple with dear
old adam(they're great friends of mine both of themyes mate no kidding great friends)but let's get this straightthe ordinary working man's not got the timeto go on such joyrideshis nose is stuck in the groundtoday's groundand that's where it starts fromand it finishes
yes matebut look mate lookyou talk about who made the moonswell let's supposeall these people
(what peopleall these peopleyou mate and meand all these behind me you're too blind to see)they've travelled a long way from their moonsyou can't come along and say
friends you've come on the wrong ticketit's a dead rocket didn't you know
what do you think they'll dokiss you
yes matebut look mate lookthey'll shrug their shouldersgrinlaugh at youspit in your facedo a rude fartanythingbut this is what they'll say
(no mateno mate i've listened to you)they'll say this
but we're herewe'll consider a ticket from hereto anywhere else you like to namein the solar systembut we can't go back to the old oneafter all
they'll say(yes mateyes they will)
you're the ones who are sayingdrive your cart and your plow etcgoing back will be a bit likesaying to the bones
get up and shake you buggers
proverbs of hell
64
be what you werewhich is like saying
go on have your lives back againto rob and torture and murder as you did before
that's not what you want is itdon't you want them to give overso that we can all be freeto muck up our own livesif that's what we feel like doing
yes matebut look mate lookwe're playing cards see(what cardswhy the bloody cards i've got in my handthat you're too blind to see)
you call my handso i put it on the tablethat one's the jack of clubs
(no mateno let me finishbe fair)
are you going to disputethe history of the jack of clubsin order to prove to me the devious passagesthat card took to get into my handbefore you'll admit i've wonthe card's there doing its job isn't itand you'll have to lump the ancestry bit
yes matebut look mate lookmillions of people are heredoing their jobs - they might hate itbut they are and they're stuck with itand that's your bloody starterif you want to change the regulationspeople exist one by oneand to all intents and purposesthey've left their mother's womband their mother's tits in their mother's bedwhere she's entitled to them as her own private property - now i'll buya ticket for the excursion
you're keen i should go on
start with that
after all it's not the whole bloody worldyou're trying to decant is itit's only a local excursion
no mate don't go matewell go thenstupid bugger.....i thought he wanted an argument
proverbs of hell
65
when the train got on the linehe found he couldn't get off againand what started out oneinnocent sunday morningas a local excursionturned into the endor the beginningof the whole railway system
* * *
hurry up there's not much timesaid eliot(or something like it))feeling towards his own(and his world's) death
hurry up there's not much timei say(and some don't like it)creeping towards my own(and my world's) birth
i'll drive over the bones of youany daydead eliot
any day nowi mean to trespass on that waste land of yourswith a packet of beans in my pocketor peasor maybe flowers would brighten up the place betterhow about sunflowers sayor gladiolii haven't properly sorted it out yetbut i shall be coming with something(and a book of instructions)so look out eliotand all the sub-eliots of this earth(i've lost the cigarette packeti had it all written down on)
hurry up there's not much timein fact there's even less time
what's the hurryparliament hasn't really done itself inhas it i meanthere are six hundred and forty constituencies in this countrystaggering around without their membersare there i meanbuckingham palace hasn't taken leave of its sentriesand got the queen fouled up in one of its back passageshas it i meanthere are limits to the things you can say about those unfortunate bastardswho grow fat in important positions of state even in a democracyaren't there i meanthis is a democracy where we should respect our betters and those in control of us are nominally supposed to be our servantsisn't it i meansomehow i get the impression i've missed what this so-called poem is all
about and the author has no more idea than i have how to bring a
proverbs of hell
66
bloody revolution off so that we can all go home happy and the world which is a load of shit one minute is something better thana load of crap the next so this hurry up hurry up is so much ballsand while i'm worked up like this what has happened to those poorsods who the last we heard were interred in the vaults of the oldhp are they still there christ please tell me
haven't ihas hewill it beisn't itare they i mean
don't you agree with me
(if you're still interested i haven't finished -rgg - i don't know what has happened to the poor sods in the vaults and i don't much carei've finished with them - or almost)
i throw in this thought while you're settling downafter that man's outburst
a man whogoes for a walkup his own arselooking for poetrywhen he finds itwon't be able totell it from shit
won't he i meanshut up
and we're back to the rockthat the new always founders on
tell us what to dowe're only the people
and the answer that the leaders of the neware always too well-bred (or perhapstoo conscious of their own power) to give
think for your bloody selvesfor a changethat's what you can do
i'm reaching outslowly i'm reaching outthere's some sense here somewheredown under the seathe rocks are sharpbut if i can just get my handin that crevicei might findjust what it is i'm looking for
(i come across dead bodiesare they mineor did christie leave them)
it must be here somewherehelp me good people
proverbs of hell
67
(that as blake showscould mean hell's people
i asked blaketo take me tosee the devilat work
he took meto a junglein boliviato a dug-outin vietnamto a prisonin south africato summerhillin englandto a ghettoin new yorkto a civil rightsdemonstrationanywhereto childrenin a spacestop i saidi think theseare my friendsyes said blakethe devil's friendlywith all whosing joyouslyor however sadlytowardsthe future
help me find you good peoplehelp you find meso that togetherwe can hope to findsomeone else
start with that
freedom is dirtythe new is drabthere is no way forwardwithout its way backmidnight and dawnwon't learn esperantodreams faint at the sight of bloodprogress is an engine that promisesbut won't start
if that's anything to start withthere really isn't very much time
not if we're to have new skins for everybodywhen the shop opens in the morning
not if we're to fit new-ideas-converters into their brainswhen the shop opens in the morning
proverbs of hell
68
not if all hearts are to be supplied with love-your-neighbouraphrodisiac reactors
when the shop opens in the morning
not if people are to be stocked with desensitisers to rid them-selves of touch-phobias colour-repellants superiority-fevers equality-nightmares
when the shop opens in the morning
it means we shan't be able to sleep tonight
because you get nowhereyou must try
is the messageof pile upon pilecentury over centuryof dead bones
let the wheel of your cartand your plowsharechurn that over in the hopeof a harvest of blood-red wheat
todaythe new age will undergoanother of its many abortions
that is no reason whyyesterdaythe houses of parliamentshouldn't have been pulled down
* * ** * ** * *
24870
the road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom
i am a moderate manmy tastes stretch as faras my fingers - beyondthat tigers demonssomething red (savage extremists) – i havenightmares over china
i am boxed-in by choicemy day is clockworki enjoy neat problemsbuy papers for safetyin the bus or train(going home) i don’t likeothers to touch me
i love my familybut not pushinglymy wife reassures at my
proverbs of hell
69
side and tidies me upmy son keeps his voicedown and my daughtergets on with her homework
i accept televisionin its place – the rest ofthe world is best seenthrough a glass – i takethe occasional holidayin france but no furtherthis country suits me
i have a thing about gardensa well-tended lawn ismy culture – i get heartburnfrom a badly-trimmed edgei know more about flowersthan people – i lookat my wife in the kitchen
sometimes when my head isfull of blooms and i thinkwhat makes her grow – i don’tbother her much in bedi respect her – she holdsthe house in her handshe makes me feel welcome
i read as wide as i darethough some i wouldn’t leavelying loose – in that wayi know i’m old-fashionedit’s best to be cautiousideas should bloom slowlylife’s in no hurry
i can take beer or lagerprefer though to drink it at home – you can have whatyou like and no morei’m not one for talkingcan’t trust easy talkerstoo fast with the cards
much of life i don’t knowi keep to the pavementkeep my eyes to myselfi’m healthy enough – idon’t mind being greyothers can dance in the suni’m wise in my space
***
enough! – or too much
reading popai let flytoo many words
i bang away
proverbs of hell
70
at the seedbut can’t break it
hurt i turn toconstructingcastles with cards
if you can’t splitthe atomman stop writing
***
