Elephant Small Vol 5 Read online

  Inventions created by Man

  Doctor Who is no big fan

  Because Who really is the man

  So what’s a Time Lord?

  Who’s a Time Lord

  Who’s a ‘who’ who should be adored

  And his TARDIS Temple should be toured

  On journeys through Relative Dimensions

  Extensions we positively activate

  While we celebrate the times he’s saved

  The day, the age

  Wave upon wave

  Of Daleks invading Earth

  It was worth the Time Lord’s time

  Time after time

  The Doctor’s worth every dime

  Who’s sublime?

  Doctor Who, that’s Who

  Who‘s Doctor Who?

  You know who

  You know Doctor Who

  Who’s the Tardist

  19. Super

  Only takes a minute

  Innit?

  A smile

  A nod and a wink

  Don’t you think?

  And sworn enemies

  Are reborn best friends

  Time mends

  The deepest rift

  Attitudes shift

  And happy days

  Replace the haze

  And hopes are raised

  Remember yesterday’s

  Childish game?

  I claimed my dad

  Was bigger than yours

  But of course

  Yours was bigger than mine

  That’s fine

  But mine drives a Batmobile

  And he can see

  Through solid steel

  For real!

  And he flies the open skies

  With an ‘S’ on his chest

  He’s the best!

  But me

  I’m no Superman

  Maybe

  Desperate Dan

  Less than a hero

  On a scale from zero

  To ten

  Me, a hero?

  Think again!

  20. John Doe

  Just like me he used to smoke

  Hand rolled reefers; cigarettes

  That’s what they tell me at least

  So I set about my task

  Tobacco at the ready

  Tissue-thin rolling paper

  Sprinkle, roll, lick, seal and light

  Fill both lungs full of toxins

  Exhale to his memory

  Friend of a friend of a friend

  The death of a chain-smoker

  Who survived Afghanistan

  Only to fall to Cancer

  At the age of twenty nine

  Legend says he’s a hero

  History thinks otherwise

  Local history at least

  Our man – let’s call him John Doe

  Is a year passed-on today

  Played his part for his country

  In a scene from Hell On Earth

  Back to civilisation

  Where the Peace On Earth Brigade

  Play a war-game of their own

  Hiding behind their morals

  Those without, sin; cast their stones

  Music to rabble’s ears, who

  Love the sound of window pain

  …Stones and glasshouse residents

  Hero saves another day

  Takes his wife into his arms

  She’s beside herself, poor soul

  And flapping about the house

  Like a fish out of water

  Justice – what’s all that about?

  Whatever became of it?

  The justice heroes deserve…?

  Alas it no longer exists

  …If it ever did at all

  I am sorry about that

  21. The Face Of Concern

  Are we supposed to give up

  On everything we hold dear

  Just because it’s Ash Wednesday?

  Just because we feel gloomy?

  Because we live in hovels

  With corrugated tin roofs?

  Rooms full of dust and cobwebs

  Yards, where dandelions grow?

  Make the most of what we’ve got

  Or spend our entire lifetime

  Scrambling to avoid the hum

  Of a deprived neighbourhood?

  You can choose to listen, or

  Laugh at my feeble attempt

  At crucial words of wisdom

  Either way, the choice is yours

  22. Liar

  It’s not true that… it’s just not true

  You’re barking up the wrong tree

  Making it up as you go along

  Telling pork pies; conning me

  You’re so wrong; man… you got it wrong

  You’re having a laugh; must be

  You’re pulling the wool over my eyes

  Making a fool out of me

  It’s not on, pal… it’s so not on

  Your words aren’t deceiving me

  I swear it’s a lie, and I should know

  You can’t kid a kidder… see?

  23. An Offer I Can Refuse

  None of what they say to me

  Is written down on paper

  Do they really think they can

  Expect me to remember?

  Some of what they say to me

  Seems to contradict itself

  Their minds forever changing

  In a constant state of flux

  Half of what they say to me

  Is intended to confuse

  The other half is bullshit

  That’s not just my opinion

  Most of what they say to me

  Is inept and insincere

  Delivered by their spokesmen

  And designed for flattery

  All of what they say to me

  Sounds hastily prepared

  The words they use sound hollow

  And the way they say them, crude

  Finally they say to me

  ‘Take your time to think it through’

  What I want to say to them

  Would be better left unsaid

  24. Anniversary

  Unopened package

  Contents; predictable

  Printed message

  ‘FOREVER BEAUTIFUL’

  Same ironic phrase

  Same crude attempt at flattery

  This gift of cheap perfume

  The same inept apology

  He uses every year

  Anger taking root

  Sprouting dark thoughts

  That build to a crescendo

  As she recounts the incident…

  The cause of those silver scars

  25. It’s Just Not Cricket

  His greatest fear was the other side

  Where the green, green grass is always greener

  And there just ain’t a man between you worth his salt

  Their heads are in the clouds, the other team’s are

  Don’t wanna shatter anyone’s illusions

  But you might just reach the same conclusion

  That you’re always on a sticky wicket

  When your cricket team’s heads are buried in the sand

  Just like the proverbial ostrich

  But why so nervous?

  No nails, he’s chewed his fingers to the bone

  ‘cos their captain’s done a runner with his wife

  No-one home to linseed oil his cricket bat

  Do the baking, peel the spuds

  What was responsible for that?

  His greatest fear was

  26. How Nairobic?

  When *Doktir Nairobi* speaks

  The words of The Ancient Ones

  “Close your eyes and visualise…”

  Using Month Sixty techniques

  Sixty degrees separate

  The Pan-Pacific Process

  From the other side of Time

  The Transatlantic Thought Club

  Enters a new dime
nsion

  Time and Space turn full circle

  Three hundred sixty degrees

  And Eternity transforms

  From a theory; a concept

  To an infinite domain

  Inhabitants of Tiny Tree

  Take a break to visit Time

  Travellers like you and me

  Experience Life On Earth

  Time out from Eternity

  To learn the lessons of Life

  Our aim; to remember why

  And from where and when we came

  We use the Memory Chain

  It’s not rocket science, it’s

  Space Travel For Beginners

  …How Nairobic is that…?

  *-* Doktir Nairobi is a character from the pen of Andy Sewina

  www.sewina.blogspot.co.uk

  27. Indellible

  Sharp shooter, standing by

  to squeeze artistic trigger,

  designed tattoos proclaiming

  promise of eternal life.

  …They didn’t steal the creep show.

  They (just like those pinwheels

  of responsibility)

  diminished to a three-ply

  tissue of lies, lies, lies.

  Merely cheap, fast comfort food

  served with a piquant relish.

  No intent to replenish;

  just to leave a raging thirst

  …that knows no quenching drink

  28. Uncommon

  Friday sunshine in that London

  South of the North-South divide

  Mouths open wide... in awe? Or is it for

  Cup cakes, tea cakes, just like Ma'am makes?

  Or a cup of tea and a slice of cake?

  Highland pipers, piping out

  The icing on the cake - Kiss me Kate

  That wedding gown - the talk of the town

  Designed by the last queen of Scotland

  Makes you look dainty as a fairy

  ... Or some fairly Great Escape artist

  Oh William, it was royally nothing!

  Just some old thing I threw on

  Had it since I was crowned McQueen

  Miss Happy Meals, Two Thousand and One

  This day has all the ingredients

  (All the greed and ignorance)

  Just don't mention the Battenburg

  So many layers could emerge

  And I do have a figure to maintain

  So I'll refrain, on this Occasion

  With the Nation looking on

  Of course I want to have and to hold... it

  But those commoners - we'll let them eat it!

  29. Black Sheep Reprise

  Resilient enough to sustain the pressure

  Without upsetting your train of thought

  You whispered calmly your good intentions

  All the while, aching with thirst for revenge

  Meanwhile, my head thrumming, I was having visions

  Of you scribbling animated scenes

  Of hillsides draped in death and destruction

  ... Like the ones you sketched when you were younger...

  30. Wish You Were Here?

  Evaporation, condensation

  Tiny particles of vapour

  Mist, to you and me

  Dreams released; truth supersedes them

  Picture slides back into focus

  Face reality

  Your embroidered imagination

  River cruising, water splashing

  Sun soaked summer leave

  Our experience – tug boats, seaweed

  Frost bite, seasick and an oil slick

  As I live and breathe…!

  31. Light Source

  Under a dark thunder cloud

  we both vowed to inherit

  a deeper sense of merit

  letting us stand together

  under the same umbrella

  to become joined at the hip

  working continuous shifts

  to un-make old excuses

  renewing childhood truces

  ... and at last seeing the light..

  32. Jobsearch

  Seeking shelter from the rain

  Enter internet cafe

  Need a job - what's happening?

  Online guide will know the score

  "Twelve thousand species of fern

  Require replant to face south

  Steady graft for sturdy guy

  Permanent post"... Pays peanuts!

  Yours if you can handle it

  Wouldn't recommend it though...

  File that in your cabinet!

  33. Treat Or Trick?

  Bound within this spell

  could we think of any way

  to mend damaged hearts

  Could men and women

  transfer power from a wish

  to a single thread

  Or would we deploy

  a darker shade of magic

  the craft of witches

  34. Shipshape

  Sailors rotten misfortune

  incurs wrath of ocean depths

  Order given to scramble

  Crew flees ever swelling surf

  Enable charm offensive

  from captain who holds the key

  Reaches safety of the shore

  Disembarks in upbeat mood

  Tumultuous reception

  35. Not Least

  Unless I'm much mistaken:

  Pride is no thing of beauty

  It makes all the wrong faces...

  A silent approach won't help

  Why be a pawn in the game...?

  Feeling sorry for yourself

  is no way to live your life...

  With fire burning in your eyes

  bust a gut until you find

  the place you truly belong

  36. Master Chef...?

  Seemed insistent; 'There and Then'

  Clench those fists and count to ten

  Rapid burst of gaseous flare

  Rustle up a steak, grilled rare

  Hurl the plate through spacious hall

  In a spasm, hit the wall

  Stooge? Enigma? Who can say?

  Don't rub him up the wrong way

  37. Penny Drops

  surely

  even ancient pop stars

  must have memories...

  perhaps of

  a now ice cold old flame

  ...or two

  strewn across the remains

  of brains

  that fail to deliver

  just shoot

  off at a tangent

  minds addled

  ...no creek to paddle

  no bread to knead

  no brood to feed

  ...then suddenly

  against all odds

  ...point taken...

  38. Rough Trade

  Vocal clarity, standard practice

  What you preach is pitcher perfect

  They listen to your every breath

  Getting giddy at each step

  Ever better, never bitter

  Venture forth, create a tumult

  Light a fire within their hearts

  Awake a passion... Sell it hard!

  39. Later That Same Evening...

  Three steps forward, two steps back

  Poetry in motion... not!

  But patience is a virtue

  So bear with my drunk attempt

  to make it back to my room

  ...without falling in a ditch

  ...and waking up with the bends

  But at least I got my wish

  when I drank The Palace dry

  Breaks my record for boozing

  Senses diminishing now...

  Am I being a burden...?

  40. Cooking The Books & Writing On Walls For The Bone Idle

  You're all skin and bone.. you should

  find a filament of strength

  positively charge yourself

  and pull back that bed linen
>
  If you can spare the air time

  call me on you cell phone for

  precious pearls of wisdom pure

  direct from the school of hard knocks

  where they teach Art... for #Revs sake

  and

  sticky wicket cricket scores

  but...

  beware cheap imitations...

  41. 0

  Took a look in the mirror...

  Straw that broke camel's curved back...!

  Liked living right on the edge...

  On a diet of Raw Meat...

  On a scale of nought to ten,

  vast majority of plans

  skirted the periphery,

  dissolved to zero... Scotch Mist...

  Now the ashes are scattered,

  only tattered dream remains

  of the dead good times, and

  strange voice that chimes.

  And that face...!

  Is it

  mine...?

  42. Chick-Ing Out

  First one, looking my way!

  …or the highway

  Chicks just can’t multitask!

  …or was that a

  deliberate blank?

  I shrank, frozen solid

  Her skates were on!

  One more, this time for sure

  …or maybe not

  Drew a breath… exhaled

  Kerb crawl cabbie needs fare

  In… With a grin!

  Tonight! …Took forever

  Great! ...Veil of tears

  The tears of a clown!

  Broken white now constant

  Fused to blackdrop

  No hide to wear, I’m glued

  to fake tanned seat

  goofing… Urban flare

  inspires inadvertent

  royal-esque wave

  aided by the texture

  of midnight breeze

  Chauffeur’s lunar gaze

  a phase I want to please

  On the dashboard

  metric display informs

  the fare to pay

  Twitching optic says

  “Later…”

  43. Spot The Difference