acrostic of don’ts

…


d illydally on the way

or play with safety matches

atop a bale o’ hay

o pen the unlucky box

with mustard gas, electric shocks

or play leapfrog – with a triceratops

n otice the declining lines

as observation is the gimp

of faded since from former times

t ickle a great white shark

or mince through

any urban park – after dark

s norkel in the hepatitis c

or climb the wall covered

in h.i.v

…

the purple hair brigade

…

who’s afraid
of the purple hair brigade?

nose pierced like
bullocks at the market?

who’s afraid
of the purple hair brigade

branded with tattoos
a rainbow coloured heart

who’s afraid
of the purple hair brigade?

snorting with intent
like a badger in the fog

who’s afraid
of the purple hair brigade?

beastly be thy fate
fodder of ‘be kind’

we must laugh back
at the madness of collective
‘ism & ides
of ‘eology & march
& rock their paddleboat
they come for your jokes
offence is only ever
taken with both hands – oh …

who’s afraid
of the purple hair brigade?

stand or leapfrog
over their overtures

who’s afraid
of the purple hair brigade?

sod their bollox
& current thing death cults

…

where art they now?

…

pensively with pencils
before each inking on
& bolder linework
shaping each maybe – but
first a shade of graphite grey
with come-what-may strokes
winter’s ghost scrawls
cobwebs in a notepad
on blizzard white paper
then black happenstance
draws us further in

…

a load of old bollards

…

b elgian barn owls
betelgeusian butteries


o peratic opticians
ox-eyed daybreak


l evitate like ladybirds
listless lies londinium


l unar sea shanties?
lo, the larking lollards sing


a ntlers on a postcard
actium – but fought on land


r aspberry ripples in
radio wave functions


d enmark is an urban myth
diabetic dodos suppose


s trontium dogs bark
somewhere in limbo landfill

…