American Countdown – 14th February 2025

3.

Under the bridge where I sleep at night,
reflecting on these words I write,
recalling how we’d set the world alight
….I wish that you could read this.

2.

Built on the garbage and bones
of dead sailors struck down with pox,
Long shadows that nobody owns
swing wildly from the rickety stocks.

1.

Who will dam the floods
made by human waste?
Will new life form in the muds
poisoned by a sneaky taste?

0.

Drinks spiked with fear
There’s nothing left here
Reality became clear –
We are the monsters.

Inspired and written as a response to Marty Shambles American Zeros 0-3 also shared with dVerse OLN

All In The Game – 12th February 2025

I wrote this while sitting in a cafe with many tourists coming and going. A scenario ran through my head that someone might come and ask me what I’m doing. How would I answer this question?

I thought the best answer might be that I was playing a game. This game involves finding words and sentences of a particular length with specific rhymes as well as adequately conveying a message for the reader. What do you win? Well, the fun is in the playing, not the prize.

The title comes from the drug dealer’s motto in The Wire. It seems everything is a game; serious or not.

Shared with dVerse MTB: The Sparrowlet

Liars succeed, when men believe

the lure of money may deceive

the many still prepared to bleed.

There’s hidden aces up the sleeve;

it’s in the game, it’s been agreed

when men believe, liars succeed.


Charlie Zero The Poet Music picks & Reviews #8 and my quick thoughts:

O. – I’m in guitar attack mode at the moment and this is too electronic sounding to me. I like the production for this style of music but I need more dirty guitar grunge at the moment. I’m going to listen to this one again later – I think it might grab when I’m in the right mood.

Fat Dog – This is pretty cool but I don’t like it when they go into the gothy-electro-dance parts. Not for me really.

URNE – I kinda like a lot of metal of all varieties until there is vocals. I like loud music with vocals more than without but I can’t get into a lot of growl/grunting or something like URNE when they get into operatic emo style. It just ruins it. Love the music though. I don’t know what kind of vocals would work with this style of music either.

The Headhunters – I wouldn’t mind watching this live at a cool jazz venue but never gonna sit and listen to it at home.

Nubya Garcia – I understand why jazz folks would like this. Again, not something that I would listen to.

Charlie Zero The Poet Music picks & Reviews #9 and my quick thoughts:

The Natural Yogurt Band – no loud guitars! Not for me!

mockART – no loud guitars! Not for me! Not today anyway. I like it when it has a more restrained Matmos feel.

Combat Astronomy – no loud guitars! But at least some gnarly bass! And a slight Thinking Plague connection helps. I don’t think that I would buy this but I will listen again. I quickly listened to their most recent album and that sounds great too.

TISM – Despite being in Australia during the TISM heyday I never heard much more than their couple of ‘hits’ which I enjoyed but never thought to check out anything else by them. Obviously talented musicians and with a great sense of humour, sadly they just make me want to listen to I Spit On Your Gravy.

Buttress O’Kneel – Awesome execution of political cut-up/mash-up and a damning indictment of the Snakes of Agression. Not something that I’ll ever listen to though.

Pretty March Buds On Young – 11th February 2025

Shared with Poets and Storytellers United Friday Writings #163: Backwards, Upside Down, Inside Out taking an existing poem and writing it backwards to see where it takes you. My original poem ‘Young Buds March On Pretty’. I like this idea and will probably try it again.

Heart beating your temper,

Sun towards more,

– no run

To start a January and

dying December is why

Slowly the beyond comes running

Pretty March buds on young

go more; one of us will give

Spring for hope eternal

Clear to start the snowfall and

wane the winter will

When year’s end, a month’s a

dead time; this is why

Cold Comforts – 9th February 2025

There are lookers and there are seers
And those blinkered of the mind
Some are do-ers whilst others are be-ers
Finally, those who choose to be blind

Some see magic within the leafless tree
Finding comfort in familiar concrete
As cold and unforgiving as they may be
Rainbows bloom all along the street

Some days, the sees will turn to looks
The busyness of time puts on the blinkers
Turning towards the turning page of books
The seers become the thinkers

The wanderlust begs the wonder lost
Learning is the unlearning to see
Expanding knowledge comes at a cost
Soon blindness becomes the reality

Inspired by writing at this post on the Spinning Visions blog and contemplating how we lose our sense of wonder as we age and become wiser, or at least, more filled with knowledge.
7th Nov 2025 – Shared with W3 – comfort – not quite to the prompt but adjacent at least.

The Ape That Asked – 8th February 2025

Always, and again, the ape that asked
Bullied and beaten black and blue
Courting ill-considered conversation
Darkened the done and to do

Each entreaty that elicits anger
You are finished! Flee! Free
To go grumbling and gather
Where the hordes might herald thee

Internal intentions are now impeded
This journey to justice is a joy
Like kids in the kingdom of kindness
Learning to love in lone employ

Matters of meaning in mention
Of nonsense, none now wait
Opponents of order omit opinion
Precise procrastinations prevaricate

Cruel questions quick to quiz
A ready realisation, real and raw
Softer skills seemingly satisfied
Thoughts tumbling through the thaw

Underutilised and upon inspection
A variety of voices victorious
Wild, wandering and wonder won
Youth yearn yonder, rising glorious

This wordplay got out of hand! Inspired by some random alliteration here at the Stoa Letter

Dreamers And Drunkards – 6th February 2025

A whisper through the cosmos softly sighs,
just like memories which have a way of coming back
Courage is the sound the night makes
wedded were we with the sun, a moment flecked gold

We’re all dreamers and drunkards
And neither kindly, curiously, nor discreet
for youth comes with a price
Boys, keep drinking your beers

Knowing that the time ahead will demand us to change
By comparison, all else does pale,
hitch-hiking imagination’s pier
But still they linger, waiting their turn

Where once there was only black and white
and secrets stitched in shadow
Time passes and the shadows grow
and universal dream-weavers,
cry for the halcyon days, the jasmine nights,
garlands of starlight strung out

A cento. Each line is linked back to the original full poem.

Running Out – 5th February 2025

How is it so; in youthful care
with all the fucks we used to share,
suddenly there’s none left to give,
tired of all this time to live?

Be careful of any fucks a-spilling;
That bag of fucks will need refilling
The means by which the fucks are granted
is the movement of energy now transplanted;

There’s no more to be created
A blind eye may be demonstrated;
But open arms may still receive
a fuck to share and to believe

So to grow a new collection
Cast your fucks in the right direction
Give a last fuck without a doubt
The bag feels like it’s running out

Inspired by this article by Mandy Brown about caring less as you age but still being able to be motivated by others.