spring-cleaning

the religious ones say
armageddon is coming
judgement day is near
all prostrate yourselves
before the might of
the One
(or many)
for the world is surely
coming to an end

the scientists say
global warming is near
climate change is at hand
mend your ways
clean your bays
quit the race
you greedy little fatcats
else the world is surely
coming to an end

the crafty ones
(and the alarmists)
say what we all know
mankind cannot be trusted
nukular bombs will wipe out
the last squabbling remnants
and the world is surely
coming to an end

the parents the journalists
point to the rising crimes
the rising insane violence
and warn us all
how long before 8%
becomes 100% murders
at this rate?
these are statistics speaking
so it must be true
that the world is surely
coming to an end

me, I think we need to
wipe the slate and
start all over again
anyway
in fact I suspect even
everyone else agrees
that's why we're all so eager
to come up with something
anything at all
that says the world is surely
coming to an end

one more night

I used to know
how to be alone
once upon a time
now there is the night
invading my ignorance

outside these stained windows
the cars rush past
the high heels clatter
the patter of the rain
falls on monochrome bylanes

inside it's just like
any other graveyard
no voices no tears only a past
empty pen refills
a burnt-out radio plug
butts in the ashtray
a ghost at the table

there are people out there
somewhere
lost in this big city
too many people
in too many rooms
with too much silence

on such nights - most nights -
all I want to do
is crawl into bed
pull the sheet over my head
close my eyes
and sleep
forever

waiting
to be born
again

because when you're young
it remains necessary
to ignore
the endings
and allow one more night
to creep past