Category: Uncategorized

Performed by Val Cole

“A riddle of Breakable things”, by Janine Parkinson
A love like ours starts out
with one cup of sugar
a teaspoon of thyme

Add a fight,
some words unkind
we sit broken, cracked, poached

Resting in silence, stirring
your pointed finger, stabs
Oozes yellow

The sunset
replaced with slapping wind
of the right

Carry me quietly,
My love.

Out to sea
deep in this shallow
I stir in your leash

You led me
Tie my boat
to your golden shore

Dull my sweetness
with stale milk and cumin
Set the clock forward

Forget you
Forget us

Forget Humpty Dumpty
and the stampede of all your King’s Men

Performed by Val Cole

COFFEE by Paul Wood

On no what a palaver

What an awful din

The barista is going crazy

As the customers all pile in

Mums with small children

Spotty teenagers with attitude

All sorts from all walks of life

Are waiting in the que

I shuffle slowly along the counter

in company with all the rest

Until it’s my turn to face the question

I am here to fulfil my quest

The peaky barista glowing red

With hot coffee sweats

Looks at me with wide eyed judgement

And asks loudly “who’s next”

“I will have a coffee please ” as I look at him

And thanking him in advance

“What one do you want Sir the list is rather vast”

On no my minds a jumble

My tongue is rather tied

I seem to be completely dumbfounded

As I am stopped in my stride

“What ones have you got?” I ask

“I have never been here before

People turn and look at me

As I shrink into the floor.

The barista truly speechless

The stress is rising up

He takes a deep breath his eyebrows frown

As he grabs the next coffee cup

“There are lots to choose from,

I know them off by heart,

If you have a few minutes

from the list I will begin to start”

The shop fell silent

A pin you could have heard

As people all stopped motionless

To hear the list that he had learned

Through gritted teeth and stale coffee breath

“Well sir as you see this is a coffee shop”

“We only sell lovely coffee here”

“I will read it from the top”

“Espresso that’s number one there,

you must have heard of that,

what about the next one down,

, we call it a long black”

“There’s a Macchiato,

now that is the third one down,

you can have it short or long,

and is especially nice while in your dressing gown”

“Number 4 there is a mocha,

I am a really big fan of that,

what about an Americano,

You can have it with milk, but I prefer mine strong and black”

Standing there I ummed and aaarrd

As I listened hard to the offerings that he had

I was now really, really, really confused

I was feeling rather bad

“I am not sure” I said ” What else have you got?”

As I gave a nervous grin

There were tuts and gasps from the watching crowd

As the barista gently breathed in.

looking at his biblical list he slowly points

His face all spotty and a glo

“I am sure you know” comes his sweaty reply

“It’s the nations favourite Mr cappuccino”

“Next we have a flat white,

and an affogato,

we have a cheeky piccolo latte there,

and a sexy Ristretto”

“I don’t know” I said “I am really confused,

all I wanted was a hot drink,

all skinny Latte this and fat Mocha that,

I didn’t want to cause a stink”

The barista slowly bows his head

His hands pulling at his hair

“It’s there Sir,…..just choose one,

any one please, just choose one, I really don’t care”

I surveyed his list and tried to remember the choice

All the names blurred into one

Quickly my mind was telling me

Your beginning to annoy everyone…

“I will have” as I slowly looked around

The customers statuesque with baited breath

The clock on the wall minutes slowly ticking by

The que behind me gripped in anticipation for my choice to be said

My mind had made the decision

Its now on the tip of my tongue

a round of applause had slowly erupted

like a slow hand clap from a cricket pavilion

“Well out with it “the overheating barista said

“Finally, thank the lord”, his voice was all a glee

“What I want,. “YES!” … what I really want” … “YES YES. FOR GOD SAKE WHAT!!!!!!!”

.. “Is just a lovely cup of tea “

Performed by Val Cole

There you are
knocking on my
throat..
“Saint death”

in the sky
looking
down
on
me..

It’s your Birthday
btw
he humbled

no cake for
you today
just memorize
those good times
while
in your skin

Saint death in the sky
death
sucking on
a life saver…
waiting..

from behind..
A whisper..a warning..

Setting up stakes
for some radiation
Invasion..

Oh stranger than I..
Pass this way..my door

Waiting on that
Shadow…
Backing out..

Just long enough..
For one more
Fuck…fuck up

“Saint death”

in the sky
looking
down
on
me.

It’s your Birthday
btw
he humbled

no cake for
you today
just memorize
those good times
while
in your skin

Saint death in the sky
death
sucking on
a life saver…
waiting..
“Saint death”

in the sky
looking
down
on
me.

It’s your Birthday
btw
he humbled

no cake for
you today
just memorize
those good times
while
in your skin

Saint death in the sky
death
sucking on
a life saver…
waiting..

The supposition of flesh
Leads inward toward the self
Where body holds no familiarity
Shape gathers movement
Scratching at the salt
To reveal a meaning
Written a long time ago
On the air
On the backs of…
Behind tooth and claw
Where I first met my forms
Shifting again and again
Each evolution declares my structure
As winds circulate the winged circles
Of each existential recollection
Once again I find a body
No longer speaking specific dialects
Stretched and pulled
I begin another circle as animal
Born from earth and breath
Death is at once alive
A neoteric vision to discover the way
As I once observed the ancient play
The perception of space and time
Where infinity embraced obscurity and the arcane smile
Matter and mountain and momentum
Knowing while not knowing
Forgetting while not forgetting
Each tongue collecting dust
Waiting for the apropos silence
Each eye alert while the other is shut
Dreaming of being awake
Somewhere aware
Reaching closer to the acts of the amaranthine Mother.

I awoke this morning with a vision
The human race at a coffee shop
Sipping lattes while existence
Slowly, slowly stopped

Bombs in the distance
Melted ice caps at our feet
The sun eating through our clothes and skins
A species in defeat

The victims of our own stupidity
Munching bagel bites with placidity
Filled with cream and a final humility
Ending not with a bang
But with caffeine liquidity

I awoke, with a sigh not a scream
Seeing it was still just a dream
Knowing it will soon be reality
Unless we choose love, not finality

When you can hear the train,
It´s going to rain.

I was born in the untamed keokea of kohala with the flow of fresh water and faces with the north star upon the unknown space and time that let me cry till I was held in warmth of my waimanu mama through the night of moons smile dancing with the stars as I tune myself to mamas heartbeat the drum that lulls me to sleep.

The next day as the sun and ocean greets us with a frothy reach to snatch me as one of its many tax claims. Trying for me the maw of the sea hungry for my fragile day old bones and flesh I sing to reach the valleys where monks dwell in peace. Which reach my tough mama not willing to let me cry in vain she fights with the maw as the sea tries to grasp me within the watery jaws she kicks and flips till she reaches the safe channel with a tear on land and sea on the tee of life’s rebirth saving us both. So keokea could get to know these unknown stones and the shoal that keeps us safe even a forgotten slippery slip of play as keokea sips on knowledge and mamas rich milk for those precious six weeks while we sip the joy of watching keokea evolve and grow to be just as tough as his waimanu surfing mama of the deepest valley. We see the depth of her love willing to send his uncles to coax keokea along and help him as she returned not the norm.

Now keokea has left to go beyond the shoal as I came to see their home this gloomy day after enjoying a swim I saw mama return with a few punks mocking her call for her child even saying – go home this is our beach – so she stood with strength and grace arching back toward them and rolled over to show no fear but love and kept calling. Decoded by this crab I met he said that she is calling for a return of love for all life in the sea the land and in us so she slips back into the depths of darkness still calling so all will know how to shoal love. Even to all those volunteers and humble stones who have a seal of approval by me and my crabby friend.

I wonder if time could stop
So, I can hold your hand one last time
See that smile you gave that didn’t cost a dime
To feel the warmth from your hug
Over and over
That gave me a similar feeling of a clover

Your love will forever be timeless
These days since you been gone have been lifeless
6 years, 72 months, 315 weeks, 2203 days
And it seems time continue to count away
Drifting by day by day
I often wish I could get one more chance just to hear you say my name

Your presence was divine
Even close to wine
I never felt harm by you
Only comfort and safety that bind me to you
Hummingbirds remind me of you
The joy and happiness you brought to life
Now poisoned by the one who took your life

I wonder if time could stop
So, I could see your face one last time
To make those jokes and laugh until the sunrise
I’d still go to war for you even in the afterlife

You’re not here anymore
So I learned to cope
But now I know what love really is
So I could never go broke

If only I could have one last time
One last time with the love of my life
One last time would be alright
One Last Time