1047 - Blue Boar Blues

I’m sitting in the Blue Boar in Bolton
I’ve read a few short poems, drunk a few
I came by train, don’t worry: drink drivin’
Ain’t my scene. Now I’m free to drink a brew
Or two or three or four. Now what are you
Doin’ this Friday night? The rain’s fallin’
My hair’s flattened, constantly need the loo
And every few seconds, seems I’m smokin’
The piss-stained pavements, not so appealin’
I’m sittin’ here alone… Where are you, hun?
I miss our times together. I miss you
I hate goin’ out by myself, thinkin’
Everyone’s thinking’ ‘This guy’s all alone!’
Well yes, but at least I’m free, unlike you…
Fri 17 July 2009

970 - Hotel bed 2

I’m sorry, my love, not many sweet dreams
Mainly my own fault, also partly theirs
Making me stay up late chatting, the themes
Of work and private life a colleague shares
In pubs, restaurants, through the wee small hours
Got off to sleep okay, but woke at six
Disturbed by sounds from the next room, those showers
Those lightswitches, tap turnings, all those clicks
Those hums, those coughs, doors, voices, real sick tricks
Like ignored wake-up calls… To me it seems
Unthinkable to sleep on unawares
Through three such calls, but next door’s guest, he likes
To wake up slowly, he needs three alarms
So now I’m really knackered, sorry dear
Fri 1 May 2009

968 - Travelogue

Last day in the office for a while - great!
A two-day meeting in a York hotel,
The usual booze-up and meal on our plates
Then, when it’s over, Friday night my girl
And I will reunite, her slim legs curled
Around me, hopefully, like times before
Being close to her’s the best thing in the world
Going on an anatomical tour
Is a thrill when there’s time to kill, to score
Is always my goal; like chess, she’s my mate
And then, on Sunday, I fly off to Pearl
In Paris, where I’ll happily spend four
Days by the Seine, then back home very late
On Friday morning. Hope it all goes well!
Wed 29 Apr 2009

953 - Get the message

Am getting to grips with my new moby
My new moby and me are best of friends
A better camera, video and the
Latest tiny keypad that really strains
The eyes and fingers, and also disdains
To type what I'm trying to say to her
I don't know if I can really complain
Blame technology or blame my finger
For her not getting my message... Easier
Now to send, and what's more, insert smiley
Deciding what to do towards weekend
Might even take off Friday so that Thur
Evening isn't cut short, so we can be
Together longer. Message complete. Send
Tue 14 Apr 2009

949 - Good Good Friday

It’s been a good Good Friday, yes it has
Stayed over at your place and it was fine
Seriously sleep-deprived I am, because
Of work and play, conversation and wine
It’s been a good Good Friday, despite rain
We even walked in it and didn’t care
We kept on getting wet but didn’t mind
Even inside, there’s plenty to explore
You said that it was important to share
You shared with me your electric fingers
When they weren’t on me, they were on my mind
It’s been a good Good Friday, but compare
It to what’s to come, and we’d better pause
Briefly for rest from loving overtime
Fri 10 Apr 2009

946 - Work, rest and play 2

Early to bed tonight, early to rise
Tomorrow to fly to Belfast Airport
I may not be wealthy, may not be wise
In work and love’s tentacles I am caught
Tie me up, tie me down…I’m watching sport
Man U against Porto, half-time one-all
And after that, Jools Holland, who has brought
The Specials onto his show (Terry Hall?
We’ll see…) I’ve watched a film and now football
And so far the game has been a surprise
Glad no bets placed, or I could have got caught
Once more with my pants down, making fuck all
Up at six tomorrow, up in the skies
A full agenda, given lots of thought
Tue 7 Apr 2009

945 - Tonight's not the night

Thinking of you and listening to The Who
And shortly now Neil Young will have sung
‘Tonight’s The Night,’ but he’s not right; no, you
And me were last night; tonight I’ll just hang
Around the flat, feeling shattered; I’ll bung
On ‘Gomorrah’ tonight, not tomorrow
When I’ll see ‘Space Odyssey.’ That’ll bring
Me down to earth, grounded before I go
To Belfast again on a plane; no snow
This time unlike that last time when I flew
Tonight there’ll be a flight, but not so strong
Or fast as Belfast or last night….Oh, no
Tonight it’s flights of fantasy, not you
Tomorrow, too, ‘Without You’ to be sung
Mon 6 Apr 2009

944 - Springtime up in the hills

It’s late again, another night at yours
And not forgetting our little day trip
To Uppermill, all pleasure without pause
Surely we cannot let this great chance slip?
You know how I adore you, want to sip
Each pore of you like red wine, then refill
The glass immediately, savour each drip
Intoxicate you, then turn up each thrill
Until you are a helpless wreck, until
Life is too sweet to bear, then more, because
My mission is to make you flop and flip
And lose your head; I want to be the pill
You need to take in increasing numbers
Now please just pop this in between your lips
Sun 5 Apr 2009

940 - Lazy ways

I rolled over in bed at half-past eight
And tried to doze off again, but couldn’t
Wednesday mornings are so noisy; I hate
The bin emptying racket that doesn’t
Allow lie-ins. And so I had to hunt
For wakefulness for another half-hour
Till I got up; admittedly, this meant
I was sleepy at work, not at top power
Smokin chicken soup and bread for lunch - wow
Then saw ‘The Damned United’ - celebrate
Derby’s ’72 title that went
To the wire, but we beat Leeds, and how!
Then home to watch England-Ukraine, a late
Chat to my new love, and now the day’s spent
Wed 1 Apr 2009

937 - Late sonnet

Later than 25 or 6 to 4
I write this on my sofa smooth and black
Not long since I came in through my front door
Not long either now till I must go back
Through it again to work, alas, alack!
Here I’ve spent many a sleep-deprived night
But this time, if slumber amounts to jack
I won’t be upset; no, I’ll be all right
I’ll whistle along to the birdsong, might
Even conduct them from my window, for
I’ve just got back from seeing you, a stack
Of memories to which I can cling tight
We need each other, that is nature’s law
And who am I to argue with plain fact?
Sun 29 Mar 2009

935 - You've gone to my head

I'm getting all excited sitting here
At office desk, having taken a call
Not from some civil servant, oh, no fear
But from someone who I fondly recall
There's something in the way she moved, I fall
Into a starry dream in which we play
Lead roles in a love story, her Bacall
To my Bogart: a drink, a smoke; we say
Amusing things, and everything's okay
As war rages on, no sign of all clear
We'll hide in her bunker beneath a pall
Of white smoke signalling surrender, grey
Walls falling, two states unified, pleasure
Intoxicates us. It would sure be cool…
Fri 27 Mar 2009

929 - Let's drink to that

I’m excited, a bit nervous, maybe
Because I’ve got a date an hour from now
Quite soon I’ll quickly get myself ready
Change clothes, brush teeth, check hair, then walk to town
She’s coming by bus, from not too far, down
Didsbury / Chorlton way; must want to drink!
The last one was a tee-totaller (frown)
I don’t mind cutting down a bit, but think
That resentments would arise; it’d sink
The new relationship all too quickly
Smelling my breath, certain things not allowed
Let’s not set the bar too high, let’s just clink
Our glasses once or twice to love, for we
Only need love, that’s all we need (and how)
Sat 21 Mar 2009

900 - The weekend cometh

On Friday lunchtime, thoughts turn to weekends
People talk about what their plans include
It's amazing how their free time is spent
So boringly; you'd think they'd have accrued
More of an urge to travel or be rude
After five days of this wage slavery
But no, they've got paint in their veins, not blood
'Painting my daughter's bedroom.' Oh, yippee.
'Fixing some tiles.' They have my sympathy,
Especially as, when each sad weekend ends
The office waits for them, free of their brood
Free of their partners, but of work unfree
Is being free and single best? Depends.
Not if partners serve up love as our food
Fri 20 Feb 2009

832 - Not on your Nellie

My wife from whom I’m separated is
Suggesting I see J just every two
Weeks instead of each Sunday. She can kiss
My bony butt, sugar. I’m staying true
To little J - I won’t abandon you
Not ever, my favourite five year old
Sweetheart! I certainly won’t listen to
T’s confused competitive ramblings. Would
You want to see less of your kid? I’ll hold
On to you, don’t worry. And this threat is
Because I was fifteen minutes late. Phew!
If it had been an hour…. Fathers, be bold!
Stand up to this manipulation, this
Ego-tripping, this tongue-lashing - please do!
Sun 14 Dec 2008

810 - Blues in A flat (take 2)

I’m here all alone in this flat, the cold
Keeps rushing in when I put rubbish out
Into the balcony bin, and I sold
My soul to the tobacco king about
This time last night, smoked some shivering out-
Side the small theatre. Now there’s three smokes left
But not much else. Feel too cold to check out
The show at the Lowry tonight. What’s left
To do, since there is no-one here? A swift
Departure once more leaves no-one to hold
But my true love. I’ll get some records out
And play my pink guitar, and still have left
Enough energy to suffer the cold
Tomorrow, when I’ll be out and about
Sat 22 Nov 2008

809 - Haunted alleyways

The ghostly apparition that is love
That mirage in the desert's swimming heat
That famous free lunch, when push comes to shove
That fantasy, product of self-deceit
Is still there in the distance, down the street
But hides in alleyways and then jumps out
Scaring you half to death with yellow teeth
Sees what's in your pocket and pulls it out
Sees what's in your trousers and pulls it out
Then runs off just as quickly to her love
Some simple man that you'd find hard to beat
But he wouldn't think twice, so when the shout
Comes from the shadows, better quickly move
Along, or at least ask for a receipt
Fri 21 Nov 2008

804 - The end is nigh, I hope

I think the time to tell her has now come
In fact it came and went some time ago
But when we don’t talk at all, how d’you drum
Up courage to say what we should both know
We’ve already said goodbye but with no
Words. They are the hardest because they fall
Like seeds on barren soil; they never flow
Except like dirty toilet water. Call
Her, tell her tonight, there’s no need to crawl
There’d be no room beneath her when her tum
Slides over undergrowth; sidewinder, show
True colours, twist and turn, I’ve seen it all
The forked poisonous tongue, rattle and hum
What’s left to argue about? Here I go…
Sun 16 Nov 2008

802 - In bed at twilight

Just two hours’ sleep for meeting day two
After an all night drink and chat session
In pub, restaurant and hotel bar, with new
Gossip and old work worries all touched on
I couldn’t sleep on the train so upon
Returning home I flopped onto the bed
Barely the energy to undress from
Work clothes. Lay there, feeling pulse in my head
Throbbing as though I was running ahead
Of the pack up some hillside I used to
Race up some years ago (I never won)
Two hours I lay as darkness slowly spread
But not to my eyes as I thought of you
Counting minutes till solitude is gone
Fri 14 Nov 2008

801 - Old York, Old York

This is a swell hotel room here in York
Honey, although you ain’t in here with me
Aw shucks, I’ll tell you ’bout it when we talk
Which we’ll be doin’ Friday, Saturday
But back to what’s bin happenin’ today
As you’ll recall, there’s bin a big meetin’
’Bout work n’ stuff, an’ so far, gotta say
It’s gone okay, if a tad worryin’
For lil ol’ me. Did the organisin’
An’ chairin,’ an’ by rights, hon, I could chalk
It up as a success, well hopefully
Proof of leadership skills… but will it bring
Recognition from managers? My work
May be fine, hon, but have they eyes to see?
Thur 13 Nov 2008

800 - Relaxation by guitar

The cares of the day were partly smoothed down
By listening to him play on his guitar
The Australian master was in town
A man who can play music from afar
From centuries back and new out this year
Might get his CD cheap from Amazon
Already I’m playing Cavatina
Not myself, of course, sure you understand
But merely on a hits compilation
While I write this and attempt to wind down
After a hectic day, a can of beer
By my side, by way of consolation
For no longer having my love around
And a conference tomorrow to chair
Wed 12 Nov 2008