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irrational darkening dream status
a sinistere mouths
and my glass eye rolls
left arm draped
in a short space
stake gibbet and cross
and repent
base pernicious
and degrading
fire and sword
from lip to ear
crystallised
into a creed
prenatal memory
cognition
black fire town
once there was
a red hot poker
now there’s only
central heating
shadow travellers
offend
a sort of rising
for a few
like-minded friends
and what is left
is postmarked quarantine
daisy gristle welts
green gnomes here lie
and their chunks
anastasia was disposed of
lady chatterley's
a broken tuba now
her topical mouth
is a gift shop
but it’s closed
whose contraption
am i strapped upon
the master-key
is in their hands
and i believe
they watch my dreams
through apertures extending into space
electronic static releases
step up then feigning empathy and any other
stance that gets you sentiment-scented while
some idea of normal lights your path put
away the chairs and the sloganising and start
scraping off the scabs like ice from me old
cortina with a sexy stroking motion target
practice starts at tea time once prayers is over
and you can wear your clan insignia to church
but don’t blame me for the dirty looks push
on through the doors of the paradox while i
quietly clench and glean a little something
for the once and future addict to consume
well bless my soul in a late model four-door
pontiac with machine washed seat covers
affording considerable space and comfort
to the discerning passenger the state has a
useful tool in its electronic voice contraption
so long as it still has buttons left to press
with every new breath dream essence takes
this over swiftly with sub-liminal reborn
heart now you yes you with your pearly-gated
imagery jammed shut to surround essential
darkness freshly ripened and yet still in
thrall to the same old patriarchal trickery
as you watch your female friendly porn
all is lost all is contradiction past its echo
more alive but not for long with one last
burst of consciousness and who’s to say
there’s sod all else or light or not for
feeling is a degenerative form that squats
amongst its consequences
Eddie Heaton studied innovative and experimental poetry under the tutelage of post-modern poet and educator Keith Jebb, achieving a first-class honours degree. He also won the 2021 Carcanet Award for Creative Writing. His work has been extensively published in a number of prestigious literary journals.
Copyright © 2024 by Eddie Heaton, all rights reserved. This text may be used and shared in accordance with the fair-use provisions of Copyright law. Archiving, redistribution, or republication of this text on other terms, in any medium, requires the notification of the journal and consent of the author
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