Elephant Small Vol 4 Read online

Elephant Small

  Vol 4

  Stanski

  Copyright©2013 Stanski

  Crawling Distance

  In Decline

  The Night Jasmine

  The Fourth Millennium

  Hotel 27

  A Fetish For Frustration

  Elephant Small Vol 1

  Elephant Small Vol 2

  Elephant Small Vol 3

  Cover photo © Stanski

  Elephant Small

  Vol 4

  Contents

  1. When Will It Dawn On Them?

  2. Syllable Sestinas

  3. Do You Know The Way To…?

  4. I Want

  5. Tone Deaf

  6. Basic Alchemy

  7. Deadlines

  8.Cost Of Living

  9. No Mask Required

  10. En Éclairant

  11. My Heroes

  12. Far Eastern Promise

  13. No Pain, Only Gain

  14. Gambler Explains Vision

  15. The Age Of Consent

  16. Good Men And True

  17. Animal Practice

  18. Another Holiday Cancelled

  19. Rock ‘N’ Roll

  20. Message In A Bottle

  21. and they all lived

  22. Happiness

  23. Walking Wounded

  24. Escape, Hum, Vibrant

  25. The PNG Jib

  26. Uncommon Valour

  27. I Have Tried In My Way To Be Free

  28. Coalition

  29. Enlightenment… Don’t Know What It Is

  30. Hung, Drawn And Quartered

  31. Jack

  32. Taking Stock

  33. A Man Needs A Dog

  34. Tough Life

  35. Aphrodisiac Eyes

  36. Overstating The Terroir

  37. Dog Eat Dog

  38. Dad

  39. Non Ci Resta Che Piangere

  40. Buon Appetito

  41. Dreamtime

  42. The Future

  43. bad day

  44. Joined At The Hip

  45. Oral Hygiene

  46. Who Are They?

  47. XS

  48. Intensive

  About The Author

  1. When Will It Dawn On Them?

  It was not the Vuvuzelas

  It was not the match ball

  It was not the training facilities

  It was not the match officials

  It was not the playing surface

  It was not the altitude

  It was not the attitude

  It was not the team coach

  It was not the team selection

  It was not the team tactics

  It was not the missed chances

  **************************

  It was not the injury list

  It was not the fans reactions

  It was not the time added on

  It was not a fluke

  It was not fixed

  It was not fair

  It was just not cricket

  It was not the world cup that was

  It was the world cup that was not

  It was not that we was not lucky

  …We was robbed!

  2. Syllable Sestinas

  Syllable Sestina.

  Nasty teen lad says ‘dull’,

  Collapses silver sheen,

  Regal La-Di-Da-ness.

  Guess queen will sulk at that.

  Can flashiness fulfil?

  This is not poetry!

  We deserve fizz! No hot-

  shot free proses, Mister!

  “Sir got his thesis, no?”…?

  “Lower piss-pot pleases”…?

  ‘Tis no-meter rot, this!

  When will we understand

  and end her villainy?

  Three tanned gunmen thrilled her.

  Her evil band then stun,

  plunder twenty grand, kill

  Jill Dunne and her G-Men.

  3. Do You Know The Way To...?

  "PAST the football stadium;

  IT’S about a mile from here.

  AROUND the first roundabout;

  TURN right onto Princess Street.

  I think that’s what the road's called;

  FAST-food take-outs all along,

  SO many you can’t miss it.

  GOES a bit fuzzy from here;

  JUST slow down a bit, you’ll see.

  DAY Centre’s well sign-posted.

  EACH Monday, someone asks me."

  4. I Want

  I made myself what I am

  You cannot help but adore

  Terms and conditions are mine

  I want all you have, and more

  I demand your loyalty

  Your affection, your respect

  In return for your kindness

  …Nothing …What did you expect?

  Give me your love; I’ll cheat you

  Give me your money; it’s spent

  Give me all your possessions

  To squander is my intent

  I only want it to say

  ‘Been there, done that, seen it all’

  Then I just want the next thing

  You live to answer my call

  Only one thing left I want

  I want it so much, I’d die

  Without this thing I desire

  …The answer to ‘Who am I?’

  Once I have self-awareness

  I’ll have everything, for sure

  But when I own this knowledge

  I won’t want it anymore

  5. Tone Deaf

  A song is but a little thing,

  And yet, what joy it is to sing!

  At least for those who have a voice

  But what of those who have no choice?

  We nod our heads, whistle along

  Tap to the rhythm of the song

  But singing is not in my power

  I don’t even sing in the shower!

  6. Basic Alchemy

  Bespoke transmutation;

  Aurum aspiration.

  Science Fiction, or Fact?

  Intuitive, exact?

  Chemistry to dote on,

  Adrift by three Protons.

  Lost, Black Arts, by design -

  Changing water into wine,

  Harvesting Gold from Lead -

  Exist inside my head.

  Midas-touch thoughts take hold

  Yearning elusive Gold

  7. Deadlines

  Delivery due

  Efficiency expected

  All about action

  Damaging delays

  Lengthening laid-back lead-times

  Intolerable!

  Nearly; not needed

  Early elevates earnings

  Success satisfies

  NAPOWRIMO

  Natural reaction

  Admittedly cautious

  Trepidation? Hardly

  Inevitable result

  Often misinterpreted

  Never a dull moment though

  Absolutely fabulous

  Laden with fun and laughter

  Pretty serious at times

  Obviously demanding

  Entertaining the muse

  Trying to stay on the ball

  Reasonably free of stress

  Yahoo helped out quite a bit

  Whether or not I finish

  Remains a thing to be seen

  Imagination willing

  Thirty pieces is my aim

  Inspiration is vital

  Notwithstanding peer pressure

  Gluttons for punishment, all

  Mediocre arrangement

  Offerings not worth their salt

  Not on this boy’s agenda

  That’s the th
eory at least

  8. Cost Of Living

  I had this verse I couldn’t add to:

  In life’s no-win situation

  No control

  Make a pact with scheming Satan?

  Sell your soul?

  Life eternal, or damnation

  In the fiery flames of Hell

  Mortal life-span; short vacation

  Spend it well

  Until now…:

  Tune…? How about –

  CCCC FFGG CCC

  CCCC FFGG CCC

  AAAA FFGG

  CCCC FFG

  CCCC FFGG

  CCC

  2 NEW STANZAS

  Is it worth the outcome? Are you

  Satisfied?

  Terms, conditions in your favour?

  You decide

  Don’t allow constraints to bar you

  From the choice you’d rather make

  Made in haste, decisions scar you

  Give and take

  All the world knows death is certain

  Life’s unfair

  Count your blessings, not your money

  Be aware

  Tolerate your circumstances

  Many others worse off still

  Invoice due, no second chances

  Pay the bill

  9. No Mask Required

  Within the mask – deception

  Without the mask – yet more lies

  It can often be that way

  As we live - and learn to hide

  Sometimes I honestly think

  The wisest person I know

  Is my two year old daughter...

  No Mask necessary here

  The light that pours out of her

  Is a golden glow – so pure…

  Free of adulterated

  Artificial influence…

  Telling nothing but the truth

  Although she can’t speak English

  And my Thai – inadequate

  Communication happens

  And understanding ensues

  A level of perception

  That we grow in and out of

  Some might call it ESP

  Others; Perfect Sense Effect

  10. En Éclairant

  On the bus to work this morning

  Top deck, front seat; one place vacant

  I sat down beside the loner

  Wearing striped top and a beret

  Not really paying attention

  But a sudden flash filled my thoughts

  Certain I knew him from somewhere

  Illuminated, I observed

  Recognised him by his hair-lip

  But he wouldn’t remember me

  I was only twelve or thirteen

  When he moved from our neighbourhood

  I’d heard some stories about him

  But I wasn’t expecting this

  A Marcel Marceau look-alike

  On the bus, sitting next to me!

  Workmates told me his second wife

  Had asked him to show more passion

  Like men in sexy French movies

  Monday nights on BBC2

  Smoking those Gauloises cigarettes

  Or was it Gitanes…? Disque Bleu…?

  Had this week’s Paris Match rolled up

  In a belt-loop of his Levi’s

  Started reading Fin De Partie

  Which translates to (Beckett’s) Endgame

  Looking deep in concentration

  But I know he doesn’t speak French

  At least that’s what my friends told me

  When we spoke this afternoon

  He’d been to France two or three times

  Just to humour his Better Half

  He only bought the Paris Match

  Because Yvette takes her kit off

  By the sea on the Cote D’Azur

  (Pictures on pages eight and nine)

  An amusing thought crossed my mind

  As I stood up to disembark

  Back in the day, he, a tough guy

  Now his wife wears Les Pantalons

  I wonder what he’d make of me

  If he knew how things had turned out

  Back in the day, me, a Tomboy

  Now just another Bloke at work

  11. My Heroes

  ‘Humanity’; now a word

  Meaning only ‘Human Race’

  Values become distorted

  Lost to Vanity Culture

  -so-

  Put away the comic books

  Forget the action movies

  Concentrate instead on what

  The word ‘HERO’ really means:

  A person or persons who

  Are able to exhibit:

  Exceptional qualities

  Above and beyond the norm

  Courage when faced with danger

  Salvation from jeopardy

  Compassion, understanding

  When others remain aloof

  Aptitude, ability

  To overcome the inept

  Dignity, nobility

  To combat the arrogant

  -so-

  Where do we find such people?

  Not in the classified ads

  Like charity, my heroes

  Begin right here, at home

  On the one hand, take my son

  He qualifies on all counts

  Fearless, kind, intelligent

  And composed in times of stress

  My daughter, just two years old

  The champion’s apprentice

  Already has the makings…

  Potential Super-Hero

  A survivor from day one

  She pulled through, despite the odds

  Vote for her or her brother?

  In truth, my heroes are both

  12. Far Eastern Promise

  The counterfeit Rolex, a gift from Jakarta

  His Armani suits were made in Bangkok

  That timepiece cost two hundred thousand Rupiah

  Those threads were a snip, at four thousand Baht

  In the race for attention, he’s a non-starter

  Style; kept in a box he cannot unlock

  Along with his Artificial Intelligence

  Bought from an ad in Exchange and Mart

  He hangs on the hope of a Far Eastern promise

  A mail-order bride from the Orient

  He’s saving his wages to cover the postage

  A few months now - he thinks - she’ll be his wife

  He’s throwing his money away, to be honest

  Riches; her real husband’s evil intent

  He’s holding the poor girl to ransom; a hostage

  Guaranteed wage for the rest of his life

  He was born in a world of abject poverty

  Now he can laugh all the way to the bank

  The wallets of six other men hold her image

  Not so ‘magnificent’ seven, for sure

  “Taking the cash from these fools doesn’t bother me”

  He says “One born every day, to be frank”

  He grows richer, fatter, while they pay their homage

  Hook line and sinker; entranced by the lure

  13. No Pain, Only Gain

  Waiting was a game the teacher played

  Patiently, with one eye on the time

  Once all the pupils had arrived, he’d take

  The register, but woe betide. The crime

  Of being late, incurred his ire; his wrath,

  And not a single student chose that path.

  Intimidated by his bamboo cane,

  Education, no pain; only gain.

  14. Gambler Explains Vision

  sight one of the five senses

  has been acquired in order

  to qualify perceptions

  light exists and it travels

  at a phenomenal speed

  encountering obstacles

  which may alter or distort

  its appearance and its course

  filtration and re
flection

  refraction and diffraction

  perceptions are conditioned

  by the coincidence that

  we are able to receive

  and make some sense out of light

  another coincidence

  is our light-receiving eyes

  which coincidently too

  contain lens pupil iris

  as well as the retina

  enabling us to perceive

  what we know as ‘images’

  (and by chance our rods and cones

  allow us to recognise

  differentiate colours)

  all are racing certainties

  and blindingly obvious

  you could bet your eyes on it

  15. The Age Of Consent

  Don’t think I left you behind

  Be patient; I shall return

  Dismayed, but undefeated

  By prevailing attitudes

  Good-byes are never easy

  A love like ours will endure

  Farewell; be sure my absence

  Is my punishment, not yours

  Necessary rules apply

  Before closed minds are opened

  You and I hold the key that

  Can unlock hearts, to our love

  Meet disapproval with hope

  Again and again, for love

  16. Good Men and True

  Good patients follow

  the good doctor’s advice;

  avoid Caffeine; Alcohol.

  If they know what’s good for them…

  As for my good self,

  this is good news; and bad.

  … I don’t like Irish Coffee…

  but I do like a good drink…

  I’ll try to be good,

  armed with good intentions

  (whether I agree, or not).

  What good would complaining do…?

  A good thing I know;

  one good deed deserves

  another one in return,

  and good things come to those who…

  Wait…! Think, my good man.

  The Good Book tells us Jesus

  could turn water into wine

  … and saved the good stuff till last…

  That was a good gig!

  A good night had by all;

  a wedding to remember,

  followed by a good night’s sleep…

  Good morning…! Headache…?