labi siffre - into the light

In memory of me

When I die
Do not insult me by
Praying
That would be using my scattering grave as a toilet

On your knees even when standing have courage
To acknowledge you entreat only yourself
Though, if you are of the practical bent,
You will have planted vegetables in my patch
Of ash and your voiding of useful nutrients
Could help diminish disasters of famine.
Remember to dream; Yes
There is something greater than ourselves
It is the universe
Be not afraid

When I die
Be useful
Bring cup cakes and frozen free-range
Chicken to the barren place and as they thaw
And crackle-cackle let this be heard
As reflecting the effect of my non-corporeal poetry
On the ten times table; cook the chicken
With brightly colored vegetables
Remember to use sodium free salt
Offer the dish to homeless ravaged people
That is my preferred meaning of my life
(Meaning which I alone can make
And am alone responsible for)
Pass the cup cakes around
Be polite

When I die,
With no choice humanity will continue
To be brief and, as the universe, complex
(incomprehensibly so)
That is the human condition; in denial
Of which, we vex existence and the innocent.
Nevertheless I command you
(Only so you can giggle at me in middle finger derision)
To drive en masse down to the hip, cool, boogie,
Party-people part of town and with all the windows down
Through giant woofers and tweeters promote hearing loss
With Elliott Carter blasting at maximum warp
In celebration of my bit: On that occasion at least
Let the arseholes on the strip shake the street
With something worthy of the trip
___

For the money, of course

"There is nothing
less remunerative
(than) writing
poetry"
___
 Vikram Seth
___

One day at a time

Might be wisdom

Were there an alternative
___

Some things can never be mended

You have to live with them

Broken

___

I was concerned I might die

Before exercising my capabilities

But with awareness of what

Men are capable of

My concerns, with relief, have abated
___

Untitled

This poem has no title
And is titled "Untitled"
Interestingly
And additionally
It contains no poetry
___

Subterfuge: The Famous and The Thick

You'll never lose cents
By underestimating the intelligence
Of your audience
Like mascara
Praised for enhancing sex appeal
But the model is wearing fake lashes
To provide the best selling claimed effect

Personalities can be famous
For being famous; made
Potent by an absence of content
Lacking substance
Worshipped for being vacant
Supreme at this is God
In celebrity culture
Leader of the TRM
The Religionist Movement
The most popular political party ever

So famous is God He doesn't have to exist
In marketing terms that's far from unique
But you have to admit it's clever
___

Call and Response

People ask what inspires me
To write as I do

Is the answer, I wonder,
What inspires them to ask
___

Kingdom Come

In an infinite universe where
Anything is possible is
It possible that that
Universe does
Not exist?
___

To those about to suicide

Do not think
By taking your leave
In some dramatic and distressing fashion
That you will somehow teach us a lesson

We refuse to be taught by threats, by blackmail, even
By the death of innocents. Have no doubt
We will forget you as easily as we forget our babies
When we poison a river, the sea, the air we breathe

Flooded with arrogance, do you consider yourself more
Important to us than the ocean, the atmosphere,
Our beloved children we ignore?
Be assured, we will not blink. We will not grieve.
You waste your time using us as excuse
For taking your leave
___

Disclaimer in regards to Sinn Fein, or any other political party, using "Something Inside So Strong"

Any political party using my song "Something Inside So Strong" to promote itself is doing so without my permission and against my wishes.

By using my work without my permission, they show themselves to be dishonest, lacking consideration for others and lacking even a basic sense of courtesy.

I suggest voters bear that dishonesty in mind at the ballot box, and I call upon any political party using my work in this manner to stop doing so immediately.
___

Politics

The use, application, exercise or wielding
of influence, persuasion, manipulation
or control.
___

The Man

In the mid of night
At the top of the stairs
In the dark he wonders
That he made wise choices
That led him to this discontent

He reminds himself, that constant,
Happiness demands unhealthy detachments
From the world; he navigates
The stairs, the hall, feeling
The gaze of his recent portrait on the wall
He shivers as millions walk
Over a million graves; he steps into the study
And closes the door

With three quick paces
Sanctuary he gains; by the sleeping fire
He dozes in the grasp of the armchair
Not daring, yet, artificial light
Too soon the sun, behind Welsh mist,
Will insist. Till then he wanders in and out
Of sleep and solace in a brief version of this
___

The Secret War

Amazing, the similarity between these
Creatures and human beings. The mimicry
Is almost perfect. Physically there is no way
Of detecting the fraud. But after days, weeks,
Months, years in their company, the haze
Fades and one cannot ignore that inhuman
Dedicated rejection of intellectual activity
___

Bigger fish

Having drowned yet another nominally
Innocent human being, the ocean
For one moment feels twin surges

Of anxiety and apprehension;
Can the arrival of battleships, aircraft
Carriers and cruisers be more than coincidence?
___

Wonder

This evening, on the balcony overlooking the village
Of Santa Capito de Monteligne, he can hear
Several dogs competing with a tree frog;
The frog is winning

Tomorrow morning at seven eighteen
Before the rest of the family have broken his peace
From the balcony he will watch as a Jay
Unfolding and folding its crest, hops
Among the shrubbery by the red shed

Pausing, twisting, this way, that, its head searching
Looking and listening he will see the Jay,
With a single flap of its wings, leap and land
A bright green tree frog dangling in its beak

Impressed, enlightened, but with a hint of fear
Mid a chorus of barking he will wonder
At the political power of dogs
___

Taliban

The lake with no stream in or out has forgotten
The ocean. You have forgotten your home.
Though the breeze remembers and whispers
“There is a land of truth awaiting you”
You are trapped here by the fear of women
Freed from your control

You have forgotten how to build, but you know well
How to persuade your sons to kill; you promise them
The lie of eternal sex with renewable virgins
Young girls, of course eager to be deflowered
By any of you:
It’s a man’s world (men have written)
And heaven too (men have written). Most
Women, ungrateful of your claimed superiority,
Go to hell (men have written)

With self-interest masquerading as faith
Allergic to mirrors, you are unable to rise
Surrounded by mountains that see
Beyond you; laughing they enjoy gossip and family
Banter with the sky, while you
Torture, live, kill and die
With fear in your hearts
Ice in your lies

Aeons will pass
You will not have grown
Be comforted
You are far from alone
___

Peace

A deluge of rain is falling
Yet the sky is clear, vacation blue
This anomaly occurs now with disquieting frequency

Heresy to some, evolution may answer the call
Perhaps those with naturally curly hair will be first
To benefit from the effects of DNA induced
Horizontal rigid hair growth
Muscle controlled
Protractible

Of course, we will be denied, born generations
Too soon, the convenience of these integral
Personal umbrellas;
Life has a way of disappointing those
With fertile imaginations
___

Smiling at my dirty hands

Winter concedes gracefully
Accepts the batón
From autumn
But the leaves on these trees refuse to fall
They wait for poets, lyricists and song writers
Not knowing, that like buses, they will arrive all at once
empty __

Having overheard a description of that scene
In Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life"
Their preferred mass suicide
Seems mere plagiarism; so they cling on
Between life and life consequential

OK, dust may, at first glance, not be fun
But give it time and worms. My favorites seem less
Than dramatic - Snowdrops in snow when nothing else dares.
That "for the hell of it" approach is not encouraged
I admire it all the more __ after all, what else is hope?
___

The Truth

At her birthday dinner
With no shared signal
Several of us proceeded to weep

Some perhaps dismayed by largess
On the tables, once again
Pot bellied famine on the news

Some distressed by love understanding eroded
Others by the scores in the championship
Semi-finals; for myself, your letter was the grit

In my eyes; now my only hope of contentment
That embarrassing medical procedure you mentioned
Again, for the seventh time
___