He's a liar and a thief and shakes my hand and kisses my
wife on the cheek and sits and talks with such apparent
clarity of conscience that I really want to ask him what
mental shenanigans he uses to blank out any shame I can't
believe that all his moral fibre has vanished and I assume he
knows what he's doing so how does he excuse himself
what's going on maybe he thinks we don't give him enough
attention maybe he thinks we don't notice what he does
such as stealing from his OAP mother you know when
you've experienced a bit of life and put yourself through the
ups and downs and done your best to keep your honesty
intact well it's tiresome and undermining to see such a slack
attitude and now he's hungry and wants me to make him a
sandwich and he accompanies me to the kitchen and in a
flash I could thrust this breadknife through his throat and
pin him to the Welsh dresser I imagine he'd be quite
surprised
~ ~ ~
39 Steps
Round the corner from gift shops and daft driftwood craft
hyphenated blue-hairs sit in the outdoor tearoom –
the one on the slope that tumbles tourists down to the Cathedral
past a book shop, through the arch, down the 39 s t e p s
to the valley – cunnin glysov erywell hidden fromin vaders
purple sandstone, buttressed, splayed walls, astigmatic
the home of The Merry Monks of Merry Vale, River Alun
Bishops Palace – meanwhile
you've just finished your lunchtime shift, now strolling
and one of the aforementioned deaf-eared loudmouths
expresses the, what-passes-for, thought
that you look like a pross-titute! However
the magic of your laugh conjures up a jackdaw,
and thus a donation –
a smelly dollop in the centre of her toasted teacake