Well-versed in deflection
Adept sleight-of-eye
We swallow confection
No hint of a lie
With no information
To pad out the cues
We’re sunk in deflation
That borders abuse
And used to the stories
So rarely explained
We vote for HisTories
And nothing is gained
Consistent imprudence
Of well-feathered nest
Career jurisprudence
You-know-who knows best
We’re damned by inaction
To more of the same
A knee-jerk reaction
And someone to blame
Make your mark
Then make them pay
For the joy
And for the peace
Of you trotting
On your way
Buoyed with cash
Of slow release
One might struggle
Protest long
Keep spinning out
An oft-tried ruse
That this moment
They are wrung
Well out of readies,
Truth, Good News.
But this just means
There’s something there
That’s worth the trouble
Every time
So do, persist
Without a care
For what was theirs
Will soon be thine
And groans, protesting
Empty purse
Aren’t like to foil
A seasoned pro
Imagination’s
Always worse
They’ll come around
Before you know
And where it seems
A stalemate stands
Increase the pressure
Of your grip
Upon their senses
Underhand
It’s no great trial
To play a trick
The argument
That less is more
Impress on them
Who’s number one
A pocket finger –
(Pen-knife-gun?!)
Will trump their greed
And you’ll have won
Extended adolescence is
Two dudes on a skate date at six
Discussing their need
For some quality weed
While comparing the length of their tricks
With their tracksuits and caps off The Now Show
And their t-shirts ironic, profound
They both chat and rejoice
In the sound of their voice
As home counties vowels litter the ground
Not quite yet with one foot on the ladder
Are these kool kats establishment-bound
With their pals in the pub
Serving plates of posh grub
Mockney rules ’til the tools owe a round
Then they’re back pulling pints of an evening
While the board sits at home in the lounge
Pinching pennies for blow
Giving housemates a show
As the park’s still the best game in town
From my viewpoint as elderly spinster
I ignore what excites at their age
Though it seems such good fun
I’ve a hunch they’ve broken
Every bone from their knees to ribcage
Katherine Shirley 