london

London Commute

Skyscrapers and crowded junctions,

 

A metropolis caught in fading daylight.

 

A dying sun in the distance.

 

A line of traffic leading out of the city.

 

Sweat and pollution as commuters hurry.

 

The rumble of an underground train.

 

Another day, another evening.

 

Sunset over the city.

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Flying across London at night

Flying across London at night

By jfarrell

 

Look up, and use the stars, the constellations to navigate;

Looking down on London, at night, is the same.

The lights, of landmarks, vehicles….

 

When I first flew with my dragon, I was so lost.

 

But, look down…

The perfect ring of red light,

With a bulge of multicoloured madness below it…

That’s the London Eye (big wheel) and the Southbank area.

 

The elusive, silvery eel that borders that is the Thames;

Look left, look right, follow the silvery trails and the boats…

You’ll find bridges…

And once you’ve identified one bridge…

 

You know where you are, flying over London at night.

 

But I would not recommend flying a dragon over London;

I know they’re cars, boats and trains…

But Karla thinks they’re little bugs

All with with fantastic flavours….

 

We crashed, that first time, opposite Waterloo Station…

Taxi cab had been converted into a fresh coffee bar…

Covered in coffee beans and grounds…

Karla stood up and gave a flaming belch….

 

Even the cab owner agreed, coffee never tasted so good,

Roasted at about a billion degrees…

By a 15 foot chocolate bar…

I really should ask Karla to put some clothes on…

 

Author's Notes/Comments: 

anyone know where i can buy a London-wide safety net? my dragon wont wear a saddle or harness....

and i must have been off sick when my school had horse and dragon riding lessons...

;-)

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Nevers

Nevers

By jfarrell

 

 

25th floor of a building in central London, with big windows;

I’d never seen London at night, all lights;

Was beautiful; first time I actually appreciated what London could be;

Until last night, I’d never been that high up and seen London.

 

I’d never been to Wembley, never been to Lord’s Cricket Ground;

Never got a roomful of important people drunk on entry;

“Champagne, sir or madam?”

I’d never served coffee to a room of professors.

 

Until my present employer, Berkeley Scott (BIG thank you, amazing);

I’d never experienced a road, a street…

The walk there takes five minutes..

After work, that same walk takes an hour or more.

 

Before BKS (Berkeley Scott)….

I’d never walked anywhere,

As part of a sea, an arrow, a swarm of people;

40, 000 people, all headed for the same tube station.

 

I’m nearly 50, these last 6 months seen a lot of nevers happening;

Nearly 50; never had family or kids or meaningful relationship;

BKS helping me destroy a lot of nevers;

Maybe, even this late in the race, some nevers can still be changed.

 

I don’t want my future (what’s left),

Just OK, managing;

I’d like my future to be good, worth the effort;

Maybe another never can be destroyed.

 

 

Author's Notes/Comments: 

thinking in a brand new way - for me, at least :-)

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Visscher's View of London

All along the river are landing stations and stairs,

surviving conspicuously since Chaucer's tales. 

Ode to the joy of bear-baiting and drunken affairs.

Ode to the joy of affairs.

All along the Fleet, 

one might meet a young man fleeing from charges of parricide.

All along the Fleet, 

one might meet a young girl fleeing from a den of men.

An evening at The Rose might admit impediments.

An evening at The Rose might last until the edge of doom.

If Visscher's view had outlasted time,

these last 400 years could serve as a paradigm.

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LYDIA GETS TO GO.

You want to go to where?
Victoria rail station
Lydia said
her mother

 

as she dried the plate
a cigarette hanging
from her lower lip
asked

 

who with?
Benny the boy upstairs
in the flats
over there

 

Lydia said
her mother wiped
another plate
why there?

 

and why with him?
Lydia played
with her fingers
nervously

 

trains
steam trains
she said
we like to see them

 

and I like Benny
he's funny
her mother
stared at her

 

don't seem funny to me
but his mother's
a good sort
so he can't be

 

too bad I suppose
Lydia looked
at her mother's
red wet hands

 

how are you
getting there?
bus I guess
Lydia said

 

and I suppose
you want money
for the fare?
Lydia stared

 

Benny said
he'd pay
did he now
her mother said

 

think I can't
afford the fare?
she put the plates
in a cupboard

 

and stared
at her daughter
thin
weedy looking

 

she got her black purse
and took out
some coins
don't make a habit

 

of going out to
faraway places
her mother said
she put the coins

 

into her daughter's
thin white hands
and walked off

to tidy

 

the sitting room
Lydia looked
at the coins
in the palm

 

of her hand
she pocketed them
in her fading red dress
and opened

 

the front door
to see
if Benny was coming
the baker

 

was going by
on his horse drawn cart
the horse looked tired
and trotted slow

 

then she saw Benny
coming across
the Square towards her
riding his

 

imaginary horse
with his 6 shooter gun
and holster
of course.

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NADAV AND GIRLS.

 

Nadav had rough skin

when he touched

it was like sandpaper

rubbing flesh

 

girls have a habit

of boring me

to tears

he said

 

I looked

at Miss Ashdown's

broad behind

as she walked down

 

the aisle between desks

in class

her skirt swayed

like old ship's sails

 

all they talk of

is dolls and prams

and doll's clothes

and about whom

 

they'll marry

one day

I wondered

if Miss Ashdown's hips

 

wore away the wood

at the side

of the desks

as she walked

 

between them

I prefer boy's talk

of guns and battles

and wars and such

 

he said

I watched

as Miss Ashdown
turned and faced

 

the front of the class

her big bust

like battleship guns

do you like girl's talk?

 

Nadav asked

I like their gentleness

and softness

and smell of flowers

 

I said

but talk?

he said

what of that?

 

the knack

I said

is to listen

only to the last

 

few words of speech

to get the drift

of talk

Miss Ashdown

 

glared at Nadav

and threw

skill fully

chunks of chalk.

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HELEN AND THE GUNS.

Why do you wear
your guns back to front
in the holsters?
Helen asked me

 

as we walked
the bomb site
by Meadow Row
I saw this cowboy

 

in a film
at the cinema
have his like this
and you cross

 

your hands over
and get your guns
isn't it slower
that way?

 

she asked
no it's speed that matters
not how
you wear your guns

 

I said
I showed her
how quick I was
and she stood bemused

 

clutching her doll
Battered Betty
tightly to her chest
haven't you got

 

caps in your guns
to make them
sound real?
she asked

 

no I ran out
and anyway
I can make
the sound myself

 

by going
BANG BANG
she jumped away
holding Battered Betty

 

to her chest
you could have told me
you were going
to make that loud

 

banging noise
Betty got frightened
I looked at her
tightly woven plaits

 

of hair
and thick lens glasses
and her small hands
holding the doll

 

sorry Betty
I said
patting the doll's head
I put the guns away

 

and we walked
to the New Kent Road
and along
under the railway bridge

 

and by the Trocadero cinema
gazing at the billboards
and small pictures
of films

 

being shown
you can come
with me here
on Saturday

 

I said
they've got
a good cowboy film
showing

 

haven't any money
for the cinema
Mum said
she can't afford it

 

Helen said
my old man'll
cough up some money
if I ask

 

I said
she looked at me
Mum'll let me go
if you ask her

 

Helen said
ok let's go
ask her now
I said

 

so we walked
to Helen's house
and I told her
about how I practised

 

drawing my guns
everyday
she looked at Betty
but whether

 

she was listening
to me
or not
I couldn't say.

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FOR SOMETHING NOT DONE.

Ingrid's words
were muffled
when she spoke to me
by Dunn's hat shop

 

where we said
we'd meet
the day before
her thick lip

 

(where he father
had backhanded her)
moved slowly
does you dad

 

wear hats?
she asked
looking in
the shop window

 

no
I said
never seen him
ever wear a hat

 

not even to cover
his balding head
she looked
at the passing traffic

 

what happened to you?
I asked
pointing to her lip
my dad didn't like

 

the way I brushed
my hair
he said it was
too tartish

 

whatever that means
she said
tapping her
recently brushed hair

 

I tried to get out
of his way
but he caught me
with a backhand

 

I’m going
to the cinema
this afternoon
I said

 

there's a cowboy film on
and I want to see
how the good guy
draws out his gun

 

he does it
by crossing over
his hands
could I come?

 

she asked
Mum might give me
9d for a ticket
as long as Dad

 

doesn't know
she added
sure
I said

 

come to my flat
after lunch
we walked down
the subway

 

to get
to St George's Road
to walk along
to Bedlam Park

 

to try out
the swings there
and buy an ice cream
outside the swimming pool

 

(money I'd been given
by my old man
for polishing
his brown brogues)

 

I studied her
as we walked along
she talking
of her old man's temper

 

and how he punched
her mother
for letting
his dinner get cold

 

I noticed her
faded grey dress
the flowers red
against watery green stems

 

grey-white
ankle socks
black scuffed shoes
her thin hands

 

gesturing as she talked
and the slight smell
of dampness
as I neared her

 

the bruise
under her left eye
fading
like the morning sun

 

where her old man
had thumped her
for something
she hadn't done.

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FOR SOMETHING TO DO.

From her bedroom window
Lydia could see
the grass and pigeons

 

and some boy
with a bow and arrow
she could hear

 

her mother shouting
at her father
her sister

 

still asleep
in the big bed behind
the tattooed arm

 

hanging from the bed
her mouth open
Lydia saw the boy turn

 

it was Benedict
his quiff of hair
an arrow in his bow

 

pointing downwards
he was mouthing words
and making gestures

 

with his free hand
she opened the window
letting in

 

the morning air
are you coming out?
Benedict asked

 

Lydia's sister
stirred in the bed
where are you going?

 

Lydia asked
thought I’d go
to one of the big

 

train stations
see the steam engines
he said

 

she looked back
at her sister
the blonde hair

 

over her face
a breast hanging
out of her nightie

 

which one?
she asked
he fired an arrow

 

at a pigeon
but it flew away
Victoria?

 

he said
I’ve no money
she said

 

he went
to pick up the arrow
stuck in the grass

 

he wiped mud
off the end
when are you going?

 

she asked
after lunch
he said

 

walking up
to her ground floor
window and peering in

 

at Lydia's sister
can you call for me?
she asked

 

sure
he said
will your mother

 

be ok about it?
last time
she almost

 

bit my head off
Lydia looked out
at the grass

 

and dandelions
growing
she'll be all right

 

she said
uncertain but trying
to convince him

 

ok
he said
I’ll call for you

 

he walked off
across the grass
holding his bow

 

and arrow
shut the blooming window
her sister said

 

turning over in bed
Lydia pulled down
the window

 

and watched
as Benedict
climbed the green

 

metal fence
and disappeared
from view

 

Lydia picked up
her sister's
dirty washing

 

for something
(in the meantime)
to do.

 

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