Free form verse by Macned. Existential, surreal and metaphysical.
modern enigmatic poetry with a darkish tinge.
prefaceDeath Cart disavowal day
A Synopsis Triton
Dagar Gave Testing the Limits
Contrived Endings Jesus Christ
The Background Self-Appraisal
The Origin Empathy
Mozart Following On
Minus Plus Transmigration
Figments Another Random Thought
The Seventh Circle DreamLines
Family Tree Valediction
A Nautical Theme Name-Dropping
Hesitancy A Refusal
Inconsequential Simplistic
The Differential WordPlay
Judgement A Proposal
From the Sublime to the Low Adages
Perfecting My Cryptic Craft On the Muse
Increasing the Flow Primate
A Confession On Belief
Carelessness My Leaves of Grass
The Pit of Labour's Bane Tenuous Connections
Global Warning Hope
M.T To Strip Bare
DreamScape On the SideLines
Death Cartdisavowal day
take a ride in the tumbril i wish i'd been aborted
down decapitation boulevard been scattered on the ground
you're going to lose your head today such thoughts we term distortions
in a moment you'll be clear a defiant jest at God
dance the bacchic carmagnole to thwart the course of nature
you should have kept your eyes closed run back instead of forward
Diana saw you looking suffer not the little children
and now watches you expire feed the sympathetic sharks
Azrael awaits you disavowal day is nigh
in the space between each breath the time for action ripe
when all the wells run dry from monuments and sepulchres
and the woody lid is shut the age of darkness has arrived
reflections on the afterlife found my feet inside a tomb
standing on the ledge told Natas not to crown me
to jump or jump not? i take no sides in this battle
to shrug and walk off. my inclination neutral.
[which way?] [churning them out]
A SynopsisTriton
where do they come from? in the centre of the room we stall
what do they mean? struck dumb, strung out on razor wire
who sent them and why? sore from lack of notice
are they tokens or a guide? cold from lack of warmth
i don't ask forgiveness provisionally dependant on someone's callous whim
but judge by the light they hold the strings and deal death
to unravel the illusion they gloat and bid us drown
give credence to the ruse
held back by crass detraction
verging on the edge of meaning imprisoned, in a bind
she wore a jersey red as meat at the bottom of the slough we lay
took my pulse and temperature pilgrims poor, bled dry
stole away my heart
to be redeemed, the grail set
sick to the gills. still brooding six serpents vex our path
perplexed. mind impaired trudge on, fed by hope
came to a halt, jarred by a hole the goal forever faint.
to be continued...
Dagar GaveTesting the Limits
i'm writing again feeling thirsty? then suck on this
i'm breaking wind it won't make you blind
i'm feeding my delusion but it will make me very happy
the lustre of the prize is mine and help your marrow grow
reward me for my forms
need assistance? feeling blue?
resumed my avocation i have the requisite device
dusted the chill off my bones just point me to the entrance
woke up and caught the dawning as Jacky said to Jill
of a victory laden day
we're dastards all who think of this
helpless to resist the craving lust is pallid and we're glad
put my back against the wheel the Sirens sing and we disperse
stopped dreaming and arose the phalli raise their heads
spat out a musky whale
attracted like a magnet to review
anointed by a gleaming angel it's an Othello situation
the spirits guide my hand they clear the stage and re-enact
i write in code at their command the eating of the apple.
and sanction your disposal.
Contrived EndingsJesus Christ
there's more chairs here they invoke his name
than you can point a stick at but know nothing more than that
shake your fist at relegate him to a curse
shake your dick at merge heaven into hell
shake your fistula
religion now has lost its sway
there's more fear here the cherubim don't sing
than you can kill a cat with the flock has left the shepherd
throw a stool at a church is now a house
burn a cross with hate
abandoned in a lifeboat
in the hospital they acted madly defrocked, unemployed
had fights, drew swords ineligible and destitute
M. was there and braved the storm left to wither in the dark
made out he was prosilient
never received instructions
one day all this will just be a memory no one knew our sorry plight
those words were sustaining submerged beneath an iceberg
detention had no 'a' in it the recipients of contempt.
and we guzzled Mickey Mouse.
[not meant to be funny]
The BackgroundSelf-Appraisal
my life and the slack of it i make the grade
twisted to a torque pass the test
going crazy, blurry sight put chairs around the table
had a close acquaintance with a carrot erect a sign for passers-by
summon up the weary
sanity in the madhouse
believe me when i lie great things start from small
written for your delectation mice are hidden in drawers
on the tumescent borderline i've got my own style
and make a very proud Pop
follow in the footsteps
of a man bewailing youth scant regard for scansion
making up for lost time i'm quartered with the goats
made lame by mother love follow every lead
buy a ticket to the show
tepid echoes in the backdrop room
painting ripples on a face am i awake or dreaming?
the canvas is broad, the fabric torn the presence strangely glib
and everyone's an orphan. the auditors unresponsive
must bring everything to an end.
The OriginEmpathy
in a moment of repose they come i don't know you but i love you
unbidden, unremitting we're strangers but we're kin
symptoms of a deep malaise we have a common ancestry
scratches from within we're humanoid i think
underneath the pond lies lurking naked in the moonlight glint
the source Saurian we smear each other's face
occasionally it bellows swallow and gulp the savage brew
sends a signal to the forge dance until we slump
breaking the stillness of the quietude like a moth to a candle
reproclaim a state of rest from jungles and forests green
call a truce with the enemy devotees of the maenad's romp
relent, lie low, hum we obliterate all traces
thinking about thinking but when the nightly revel ends
drinking to be drunk everyone's still single
reminding me to gasp out loud the commonalty of man a myth
who did you lose it to? in the cold cold light of day.
MozartFollowing On
a spurious claim to falsehood Follow me, i'm leaving
you aver i shovel shit with Handel and the brothers Grimm
i disinter your envy Orpheus is our mentor
dig a grave for failed clowns we deliver keys to kings
in the cemetery we falter Follow me, i'm stealing
ponder on the pox the castle from the crown
make sense from seats of learning rhythm not rhyme is my measure
lock up the wicked judge understatement my technique
corruption in high places lean Follow me, i'm boring
infects our understanding holes to the nether world
from the palisade to the scaffold passages of parsimony
we march in ranks of four found in an empty purse
words of hope for the traitor Follow me, bewildered
incite the sheep to rebel to a dionysiac wonderland
rouse the dreamers from their sloth where shepherds play on flutes
follow me, i'm leaving. and women worship Pan.
Minus PlusTransmigration
a spurt - that's it love's dictum is moss
that defines this urge like Zarathustra and the eagle
this tendency to fossick we perch on crags and watch
in the gravel and the shards the clock keeps on ticking
the sand runs out
filling up the blankness and the vapours on the swamp glow
draining the pen
sharpening the quill the herd disperses in the thunder
for another frenzied flight norward to the pole
through the cities and the towns
attendance is mandatory joined thence by ashen vagabonds
at the official sacrifice
we dedicate our daughters they lodge in tents and haggle over mercy
to the service of the owls borrow money, rob the poor
and decorate a harlot
servitors and seekers crawl
the floor is gold and crimson love disdains to suffer long
born a bastard, left intact she moves when moved, bites the heart in two
and every word is fallible. and turns away her shoulder.
FigmentsAnother Random Thought
acrid and vapid it's not who's good
incapable of a sustained exertion it's who's best
unable to reply the pretence of fairplay is to protect the mediocre
the standard varies with the critic
the phone rings the bar is high or low
the walls creak all compete, all lose
beneath the window a dog begins to bark equality enfeebles
ice forms in a frost the itch increases with the rubbing
birds plunder the fruit blood flows from an open wound
wheels revolve, tops spin lucid and then embarrassed
an experiment goes wrong pricked by a gallant rose
and an artist invents a pose
[it's going to be alright]. ordained by something gnomic
fearless in resolve
had trouble in discerning praise
mistook her affection for rage
[gabbled as i choked].
The Seventh CircleDreamLines
bloody Hell summation of the goal
pearly Heaven brain in overload
a gory fetid stench you've filled the tank and now you want to top it up
from the meadows of asphodel best give it vent
to the gates of blackest Dis unfurl the sail
let the excess guide the ship
tormented souls pull anchor and grin
hump-backed ghouls bare the throat, walk the plank
maggot infested flesh fly the Jolly Roger
the reek of death and sewer slime
bids welcome to your pride weak focus in the gloom
you're trying too hard to make sense
the misadventure perilous to generate a meaning;
your misdeeds said beware let people make their own ascent
live and let live, share and give the pitfalls are few
give shelter to those who knock the footing firm
on the mountain named Macned
heed it as a warning [start climbing].
a message to reform
to safeguard your entry in the Book of Life
and stop the wheel turning.
Family TreeValediction
micturate against the side of a barn 50 more poems for you to piss on
i like the country air to abate your vengeful thirst
spent the night on Rifle Range Road tie me to the stake and stone me
in the house of Roger Jack curse me like a god
Roger bedded Carol D. in Karamea bay say farewell to morality
near the grave of Doctor G. dismiss your better half
on a rugged west coast beach your blinkered dreams detain you
in the shewolf's languid womb
from the seed planted sprung Macned
your esteemable young author on the turgid water's muddy surface
whose conception garnered him no rights cast a sickly shadow black
but only certain hunger your aversion kills the birdsong
and chills the summer air
suffering his legacy
ignoble his domain nascent as a leper
until at the age of 23 he found: you hate without just cause
apparent finality and a name. misguided by a baleful star
fit company for carnage.
A Nautical ThemeName-Dropping
cock a snoop i know i've got a lot to do
little red riding hood a lock to pick
the princess and the pea a will to break
join old man Johnson a cedar to fell
for a cruise on his yacht and a system to construct
down elephant buzzard lane
must have a yarn with Walt
chasing after tunny take laudanum with Poe
spearing guiltless fish drink absinthe with Baudelaire
set adrift on the lake of dreams and submit to Messalina
underneath a lurid rainbow
pass me another radish
the captain gives a nod i wink i'm fed up with carrots
turn the crank, clear the deck never trust a turnip
he took an arrow in the eye it is a parsnip wearing brown
and brandishes a sabre
nonsensical, Nostradamus
dolphins frolic in our wake we vary every line
escort us to the shore rake up gems from a muckheap
a pelican acts as herald and feed pearls to a pig.
and we don a new disguise.
HesitancyA Refusal
i forget to remember hesitant and reticent
i remember to forget shut both eyes and withdraw
sever my ties with old Ma Hubbard hide behind a doorway
and flinch before the whip clamber down the hall
battered in a barnyard brawl disclaim all sinful knowledge
i'm changing my locale use 'we' instead of 'i'
moving to the city from the plain seek to be inclusive
dropping my stocks and shares salivate at the thought of whey
saw a rabbit kill a fox issue orders to lift the siege
saw craters on the moon decree a stay of execution
this body is weak and febrile exercise my clemency
we've got cancer of the soul stuff mattresses with sorghum
lost my paddle in the stream sort papers in a folder
we flounder in the quicksand fix a leaky spout
wait patiently for rescue fill every head with sordid gain
but only pixies come. and refuse to alter tack.
InconsequentialSimplistic
Giving in to contemplation that's good
declining to see sense these words must be read
staying right in the middle someone must understand
reluctant to move or budge we must not strive in vain
Giving way to disenchantment no one likes to be ignored
immune to good advice a dwarf would like to be tall
hearing but not listening simple but true
breathing but not alive childish but wise
analogous to Confucius
Giving up all aspirations
relinquishing control you're meant to pause mid-sentence
both hands off the wheel repeat each line and verse
unbuckling all restraint swim out to sea with your surfboard
and ride each glorious wave
Given all and got nothing back
studied hard for no reward constructed with you in view
set my sights too high the well is deep
misjudged the horizon. the mine well-stocked
i invite your excavation.
The DifferentialWordPlay
it's a mishmash, a jumble she's got nipple pink lips
a search for sunken treasure she's the sea in which i would like to sink
an attempt to give a new slant i'm cold she's calefactive
a different sheen to the same colour i'm a fly she's the web
repetition recurs met her in a miry tunnel
but as Heraclitus said had a frank exchange of perfume
thee cannot step in the same river twice brought her back to my shack
you may stumble but not fall into the tauric room for improvement
lie but not deceive
happiness is fantasy misspent the night in making hay
the bee fights the wasp to the plaudits of Artemis
two factors in the wrong equation
meanwhile back in paradise lashed by her scorpioid sting
we park our car in the garage
run off down the road for a jog more jibes about the beanstalk
and get ready for the rush. she left me ere the dawn
left without remission
left without a leer.
JudgementA Proposal
for spit read piss this is a trap which i prepare for you
doff your cap accept it in honour of my vow
grab a viper by the throat this is a path which i sweep for you
and grapple with a lion embrace it in order to advance
the evidence is compelling these are my eyes which i strain for you
an aggravating feature being touch them so that they may heal
the age of the complainant these are my hands which i hold for you
and thus we sentence you to Paris guide them so that they may find
for the term of your natural life
this is an act of boldness
shameless brute! respond and be ennobled
you took no to mean slow down this is a light in the darkness
consent was not forthcoming follow and be amazed
duress was applied
the victim is now the victor these are the words of a prophet
and you the effigy of a monster listen and ye shall know
these are the gifts of glory
worried and afraid we sit receive and ye shall share.
cautious in a dismal corner
innocent but sharing guilt
the crime of one man contaminates his family.
From the Sublime to the LowAdages
she threw a dead rat around the building progress is slow on the journey to the pole
the woman of ill-intent stranded by a blizzard
crashed her car into a hoarding we need peace to pray
shot a cop, robbed a bank
the mountain is steep on the climb to the top
she broke a bottle with a barstool blocked by a rockfall
ran errands for the mob we need wisdom to think
overturned tables in a temple
laundered money and then fled the sea is stormy in the voyage to the edge
icebound in the winter
she made a new beginning we need patience to wait
changed her name and hair
met up with a gangster tempers are frayed on the flight from reality
slipped a counterfeit note buffeted by the turbulence
we need love to hope.
she died from a dirty needle
and a heroin overdose
shot up one time too many
cut the wick too short.
Perfecting My Cryptic CraftOn the Muse
subject each line to scrutiny somehow it set me off
apply a rigorous standard of proof don't quite know how
demand it bear the burden but how explain the inexplicable?
carry out its stated task it suffices to be thankful
give credit where praise is due
eliminate all weaknesses grateful for a second chance
give preference to the strong another grasp at fame
choose hard over easy another prong to the fork
gold over bronze a resurrection of the dead and gone
concentrate on being read inactive for a decade slept
try to outwit, second-guess forgot the feel of a pen
project myself into the reader the hasty scribbling before the words get lost
assume they understand the restless nights and days
keep in mind the purpose don't know the destination
drop any surplus 'i' don't know the end result
attempt to stay in reach i'll just keep going flat-out
with the writers of yesteryear. until the force is spent.
Increasing the FlowPrimate
pressure makes the flame burn brighter you've heard the phrase 'slim pickings'
the heat more intense but do you want my babies?
add more fuel to the fire i need a home for some excess seed
lose less time to sleep and you've room for a friendly tenant
kept awake by thinking-out nourish it and nurture well
imaginary words on a page the new growth in your stable
they tumble out of nowhere punishment is my concern
windblown seeds from the crypt you've got other rights
fruit from the Garden of Eden i hate to leave you in the lurch
transplants from the Tree of Delight but life is short, the gulf is wide
glowing like hot embers we only had a brief alignment
food for my inspiration our paths crossed once and then diverged
the tap is turned as far as it'll go we both got what we wanted
the dam gave way to the flood fulfilled the primal urge
the dyke collapsed, the crisis passed for now it's goodbye and take care
and i'm safe on the ark with Noah. i'll see you on the rebound.
A ConfessionOn Belief
yawning and expectant i don't believe that dreams come true
dislodged the mote in my brother's eye that's idle speculation
tired and in protest i only know i crossed the line
stole honey from the hive and got blisters for my pains
sold half a toothpick i don't believe in suicide
to a beggar to stir his gin it's an admission of defeat
freed a bear from a zoo i only know i've had it tough
and confiscated moonshine but came out smelling roses
released animals from laboratories i don't believe in infernal hell
made illegal contraband that's a rod i've had to break
set fire to a lighthouse i only know we live and die
and laughed at dirty jokes and after that we're holy
committed random acts of violence but i do believe in lover's luck
pulled a funny face and the importance of a bond
decided to be famous i know we're single but we pair
and got my name on every tongue. and therein is the essence.
CarelessnessMy Leaves of Grass
lost hold of a rope serious and resplendent
and started an avalanche resonant with reason
dropped a match buoyant and inclusive
and burnt a forest down signposts to the Grail
drunk too much the parturient process
and caused an accident is my apotheosis
ate too much another poem is born
and stained the floor another patch added to the quilt
trusted the wrong person too contrived? slight?
and got betrayed i must dispute that finding
befriended a stranger this is subtle, has depth
and got fleeced hits the nail on the head
loved without discretion these my leaves of grass
and suffered pain convey the motion to the steam
bungled every plan i made help the helpless find relief
and lost all. make sense of what is gloss.
The Pit of Labour's BaneTenuous Connections
i'm in sight of the finish speech flows
on the final run home we hide behind a waterfall
but there's a weight on my back espy a unicorn
it's the intoxication of success and learn to reoffend
i'm burdened by approval backslide
hear the murmur of the crowd we mistake cattle for kine
wade through discarded betting slips seek entry at a frigid door
arms swinging, legs high and fill empty bins with trash
beyond the end is another track by-and-by
a new circuit, a talking skull we crucify St.Valentine
the count returns to zero raid the coop for eggs
the slate is wiped clean and level out a hump
from frustration born of boredom the mirror cracks
from the pit of labour's bane we falsify a tax return
i simulate distinction put a marked card in the deck
attach wings to my fickle feet. and open an umbrella.
Global WarningHope
the grass is growing as i speak if you close your eyes you still can see
the horses gambol in the paddock green a display of colour on the palette of your lid
little have they to think of
much have i to learn if you block your ears you still can hear
the pumping of your precious blood
the volcano issues rufescent threats
the hillsides crumble in the rain if you close your mouth you still can taste
we are ants in the midst of the forest food from a fabled feast
Mother Gaia is supreme
if you lose your hands you still can sense
the number of the beast is fixed the pleasure of a woman's touch
the monkeys provide a dumbshow
imposters impose on our credulity and if you fail to find fulfilment
a curse is the preserve of God you still get another chance
the end is a beginning. the sun will always shine.
the dreamer awakes from his troubled sleep
the artillery is withdrawn
some people wear a fake exterior
and I can always tell.
M.TTo Strip Bare
she took the rough with the smooth take the scape from the goat
the blind and the lame the bone from the dog
from the gutter to her breast and the monkey from the tree
she rescued hungry waifs take the skip from the rope
and orphans thin the short from the cut
and found them all a home and the motive from the deed
she fed the famine victims take the passion from the love
made friends with the mentally ill the cripple from the crutch
talked with autistic children and the diamond from the ring
and counselled women raped
take the bottle from the drunk
she salved our conscience the bed from the sheets
did what we would not do and the truth from the life eternal.
acting in our stead
funded by our remorse.
DreamScapeOn the SideLines
underneath the sheets i fly on the sidelines i take my place
on a magic carpet to the stars i'm an alien i'm prey
in my dreams i live a better life no one seems to see me there
in my dreams i'm always brave i think i must be dead
under cover of the night the flock flies off but leaves me grounded
the body sleeps, the mind is active my wings clipped, my feet chained
the daytime cares are put to rest left to carry the blame
anxiety is banished and with a bell around my neck
the bed is safe, a womb retreat excluded since birth
its office is protection i'm a postnatal termination
the outer world is kept at bay a creature from the starry realm
intruders are repelled an ethereal phantom jinx
an unpopular apostle with a hairshirt and a sack
soft and silent, no pillow speech and a stern message from the wilderness:
no itch to rub, no scab to scratch
just lie back fighting shadows "prepare ye for the grave."
decline to be involved.
