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TALES OF OLD HOLLYWOOD

Whole crypts ransacked

preserved body parts found re-examined

attics and cellars raided for cans of film

inhabitants of nursing homes grilled to despair

whispers and wills plundered for half truths,

and all the while the ghosts of narcissists recalled

assembling in long galleries of haunted houses lit by arc lights. 

 

Private beaches combed for evidence of washed up

car...

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THE NET CLOSES

Police divers dragged a lake yesterday

found only aquatic weed

and a new microscopic foramanifera it was revealed

funds became available for further research

in collaboration with Heritage England 

 

leading to new enquiries

trails leading in a different direction.

There's a future in the Net, (sorry - Met)

ran an advert in the Police Gazette. 

 

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SONG OF SUCCESS

She only wants me for my money and fame

he thought

 

going into his studio

to write a love song.

 

He looked up at the row of golden discs

and quickly forgave her. 

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BACK IN THE SEVENTIES

Chicken in a basket

jokes at the mike

bingo days, foggy days

queues at bus stops

frost at the fingertips

red and black in the clubs. 

 

The dying breath of thoughtful machines

the clearances of industrial scenes

roundabouts under predatory skies

cigarette smoke spiralling at the bars

on the dole in busy pubs. 

 

Detectives in flairs

travelling in pairs

...

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CONCERTO FOR KEYBOARD AND SKIP

Goodbye old keyboard

you served me well

your presence is a ghost from the recent past,

a man in high viz went up some steps

to a council skip and placed you there. 

I'm here to give thanks on your final gig

an insult for a life well spent

in an intimate bond of give and take

a parting touch for old times' sake

before your final swift descent. 

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ZING WENT THE STRINGS

Music is a puppet

pull it out of the box

make it dance and sing

do everything you want it to

to never say no

because you should be in control

not let the puppet master you. 

 

But then during the dark of silence

let it come to you

lie with it feel its undulations

the pulse that never lies

knowing that the music puppet never dies. 

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