Bus Ride

At this time of day the sun is a narrow boat of light.
It lingers on the tops of trees; the fences are brighter.

The sky is a sheet of cobolt blue, the telegraph poles
make crossword puzzles; the landlocked horizon shimmers sea.

At this time of day the sun dies beautifully – it’s death
is a slant on a terracotta field: the glinting sky,

amber on the road, the gilt – circling the paving stones
like the correct answers, on a geography test paper.

At this time of day, a golden city will fit itself
into what’s already there; the sun floats like an orange.

It illuminates an apple that fits inside my hand.
It runs along my wrist like a glove of yellow sand

At this time of day, the world is made of softened gold
For an hour like a light box, I think of nothing else

In prog…

The Mould Man came today
to see the culture I’d grown in my walls
to see the pictures of shadows and lines
to read their maps like cracks in my palms

The Mould Man came today
with his canvas bag of Mould Man tricks
with his potions and tools and low slung jeans
with his tiny trowel to smooth over bricks.

The Mould Man came today
and I sat in lounge with my hands in my lap
and I told him how it had all happened
and he listened whilst painting over the black

The Mould Man came today
he listened to secrets in walls
he brushed them like prints off an apron
he folded them into a bag while we talked

The Mould Man came today
this man from the council of mould in the sky
this taker of things that I gave him
this lifter of spores, this man, in the night.

Mold

There’s a town in Wales called Mold
but it’s not like the stuff in my flat,
though it’s old French name
means High Hill
and me my mould
have a tower block.

But we’ve never hosted the National Eisteddfod
we’ve never possessed a network of trains
and our railway was never dissembled
to make room for a Tesco
to service our tastes.

And we never had
The Great Mold Riot
I never angered my mould
by announcing a paycut
I never banned the use of its language
being spoken by miners inside of my flat.

And we never discovered
a cape made of gold
and sent it to the British Museum -
we only have china
that’s slightly cracked
and blossoms of mould
like blue perineums.

Oh Mold of my Mould
that’s not my Mould
I and my Mould salute you.
We hope you are happy
ontop of your hill -
maybe one day
we’ll come see you.

Mould Man Re-re-draft

So The Mould Man came today
and I’ve waited for him for so long
but he wasn’t what I had expected
no gas mask or boiler suit front.

But The Mould Man came like a prophet
sent by the agents, of De Montfort House
and he sealed up the walls in the bathroom
and painted them blue like an arctic cloud.

And The Mould Man had an answer for everything -
for the death trap of wires rolled up by the door,
for the man from Bar Roma with children,
the famous poet I’d met while he toured.

And he leaned on a door like a salesman
he listened to secrets like shadows on walls
he brushed them like prints off an apron
and folded them into a bag while we talked

And he wasn’t what I had expected
this man from the council of mould in the sky
but he left with the things that I told him
silent as spores, or a man, in the night.

The Mould Man (redraft)

The mould man came today
and he ripped out the floor in my kitchen,
he ripped out the units
underneath my kitchen sink,
and he fitted me with a larger cupboard,
he crawled under the bath, to get at a leak.

And the mould man came today
and I’ve waited for him for so long
but he wasn’t what I had expected
no gas mask or boiler suit front.

But the mould man came like a prophet
sent by the agents, of De Montfort House
and he sealed up the walls in the bathroom
and painted them blue like an arctic cloud.

And the mould man had an answer for everything -
for the death trap of wires rolled up by the door,
for the man from bar roma with children,
the famous poet I’d met while he toured.

He brushed all the secrets like saw dust
pressed them like flowers, against kitchen towels
he lifted them cleanly, like mould must
and folded them gently, their delicate growls

And he wasn’t what I had expected
this man from the council of mould in the sky
but he left with the things that I told him
silent as spores, a man in the night.

Mr Polar Bear (macneice…)

Mr Polar Bear, I’m here for you
in this place that’s like an igloo

Fly home now, or not at all.

Every Saturday I bring my lunch,
I sit beside you, I quietly munch

Fly home now, or not at all.

I sit beside you in our usual nook
I wear my coat with it’s kharki hood.

Fly home now, or not at all.

I draw the attention of the security guard
arrange my gaze, hold my arms.

Fly home now, or not at all.

And here is the church and this is a pew
It feels so strange to be with you

Fly home now, or not at all.

And in this space that’s like a glove,
they’ve sewn your fur, removed your tongue

Fly home now, or not at all.

They’ve wheeled you out and made you tame,
brushed your fur, removed your name

Fly home now, or not at all.

Inside this place that’s like a zoo
where nothing ever, ever, moves

Fly home now, or not at all.

My Polar Love, with Polar thoughts
My Glace Bear, that money bought

Fly home now, or not at all.

Mr Polar Bear (after Macniece)

I sit beside you in our usual nook
I wear my coat with it’s kharki hood

and every Saturday I’m here for you.

I draw the attention of the security guard
arranging my gaze, holding my arms

and every Saturday I’m here for you.

And here is the church and this is a pew
it feels so strange to be with you

and every Saturday I’m here for you.

And in this space that’s like a glove,
they’ve sewn your fur, removed your tongue

and every Saturday I’m here for you.

They wheel you out and make you tame,
they brush your fur, remove your name

and every Saturday I’m here for you.

Inside this place that’s like a zoo
where nothing ever, ever, moves

Every Saturday, I’m here for you.

Mr Polar Bear (after Macneice)

I sit beside you in our usual nook
I wear my coat with it’s kharki hood

and every Saturday I’m here with you.

I draw the attention of the security guard
arranging my gaze, holding my arms

and every Saturday I’m here with you.

And here is the church and this is a pew
it feels so good to be with you

and every Saturday I’m here with you.

It’s the Northern Lights in a Council Flat
and when I’m here, I’m an aristocrat

and every Saturday I’m here with you.

But in this space that’s like a glove,
they cut your fur, removed your tongue

and every Saturday I’m here with you.

They cut your fur and made you tame.
They brought you here, removed your name

and every Saturday I’m here with you.

your picture taken in the zoo,
your body mounted like a moose

and every saturday I’m here with you.
And I don’t know what to do.

Mr Polar Bear (after Louis Macneice)

I sit beside you in our usual nook
I wear my coat with it’s kharki hood

and every Saturday I’m here with you.

I draw the attention of the security guard
arranging my gaze, holding my arms

and every Saturday I’m here with you

and here is the church and this is a pew
it feels so good to be with you

and every Saturday I’m here with you

and in this space that’s like a glove,
they cut your fur and took your love

and every Saturday I’m here with you.

They cut your fur and made you tame
They brought you here, removed your name

and every Saturday I’m here with you.

your picture taken in the zoo,
your body mounted like a moose

and every saturday I’m here with you

In this wooden warm musuem
In those stately homely prisons

and every saturday I’m here with you

In your head an arctic circle
in your bones an arctic murder

and every saturday I’m here with you
but I wish I could send you home.

Polar Bear Pantoum

Well, I’ve had another go. It’s a very, very weird form …

Polar Bear Pantoum

Mr Polar Bear, I’ve fallen in love
and every Saturday I’m there for you.
I bring my lunch, inside a paper glove
brown and crumpled, like for feeding birds -

and every Saturday, I’m searching words.
I sit beside you in our usual place
brown and crumpled, like I’m feeding birds,
and I wear the coat with the kharki hood,

and I sit beside you in our usual nook
and I draw the attention of the security guard.
Wearing my coat with it’s kharki hood
arranging my gaze and holding my arms,

I draw the attention of the security guard.
and I smile at him, ‘cause he doesn’t know
arranging my gaze and holding my arms,
hands like prayers, in a conjurers show

I smile at him, ‘cause he doesn’t know
how it feels to be with you,
hands like prayers in a conjurers show
and here is the church and this is a pew

how it feels to be with you
is the Northern Lights in a Council Flat
and here is a church and there is a pew
but when I’m here, I’m an aristocrat

Are the Northern Lights in a council flat
a thing you have seen?
when I’m here I’m an aristocrat
and you’re a bear, with a human-being.

And is this a thing you’ve ever seen?
a person frozen that isn’t moving
Here is a King and here is a Queen
a polar bear, with a human-being.

Mr Polar Bear, I’ve fallen in love