was an angular evening

all edges and corners

and the light spiralled out of the dark sky like glass

and the palms and the pines stood sullen and cold

as the driverless cars approach through the night

as we wait in some kitchen to weigh up the powder

as we stand all in line to check out our stuff

as we walk in the light of the blue neon cross

as we crunch up the numbers that add up to nothing

as we pull off our clothes lie listless in bed

i separate into all of my being

i overtake then the speed  i am moving

but i veer to the left

and i swerve to the right

and all of my songs start to turn round and bite me

and all of those words start to throb in my head

i remember it all

like it was yesterday

it was yesterday says somebody else

i turn around theyre calling my number

i come around theyre paging my book

i  look around the deserted hot fleshpots

i puff for a while on the residue of love

i reach in my pocket and pull out a hand

i empty my eyes of the things i have seen

the jealous thoughts that all manifested

the anger and violence so blindly released

the way that a star shines in the sea

the way that an enemy waits till your weak

the way a morning screams in your ear

when you wake with a stranger giving you hook

when you walk with some bastard some animal jack

when you play with some lowboy and give him the lot

when you go to the city where nobody lives

and you go to the sleep where nobody dreams

and hearing the song that no one has sung

and your making up things that pull things apart

and your hunger for starving yourself of all  things

and you dance like a fool in the light of regret

and you prance like an ass for the fools you attract

and you terminate time with a sweep of your arm

for the pain in the past was never your blame

and the fire consumes us

and the waters still rise

and the jackals all out there

and the dragons are back

some man inventing hideous creatures

he just dreams em up and then they can fly

the six headed wrath

the one fingered rip

the semi-accordioned old bag of bones

the salt water wimp

the classic usurper

the ogre who took you back to the cave

the stupid one with money to burst

the gruesome one with the nose of a boar

the boring one who helped you out once

and the one you promised some of the moon

and the important one who owned a cafe

and the little one who had a big car

and the one with the degree in idiocy

and the one that you met as youre on your way home

and the one with the name you cant bear me to say

and the one with the magic that brings us undone

and the words that were whispers

and the gestures imbibed

and the places it happened

and the way it went down

as the snow fell and fell

as the stuff did its work

as the people around you step back and stare

as the morning thats coming turns right around

as the impossible horror of reading your mind

as the spirit blazed a trail north through your life

as the old evil burn that drives men insane

as the increasing pressure of madness on metal

as the feeling of slowing down in mid fall

one day you look up and theres nobody watching

so you take everything thats not nailed down

and you travel a path that takes you away

yes you visited lots of the stories you told

and you talked about london and you talked bout new york

and you talked about anything

and nothing taboo

you said youd been hired to play acute nightmare

you said youd auditioned for the saturday crowd

you said someone wants you to fly his new planet

you said someone offered you cash for your heart

you said someone lovely had just picked you out

you said someone wealthy had paid for your kick

you said someone awful had accessed your oh!

you said someone strong had weakened your grasp

and the evening was angular

all window and mirror

and the colours were smeared on the glow of the fog

at the edge of the high way  rushing by liquid

and a dip in the road

and an end of a line