In the north east where the wind blows cold

In the north east where the wind blows cold

I can fly

I can fuckin’ fly me

That wind is frigid cold

That wind

Freezes me marra’ to me bone

But yer bairns

Yer bairns are not your own

Yer bairns

Play alone

Where that north wind blows

Where me gas is ice

Where me laugh cracks

And opens mirrors

To tomorrow

I see me old man

Crippled from work

Fag and ales

Dig another row

Against a sky

Of pigeons

Exploding the grey light

Out of where the north wind comes

Me I can fly

Like a fucken bird I can fly

Like dreams and hopes I can fly

Like tomorra

Frozen against the sky

Me wings spread

I see me bairns

Fry their brains 

On ice

And the north wind blows

Sydenham, Sydney 2011

Johnny he’s gone awa’ na fer all time: me brutha who died in 2010

Johnny in the cardigan 1966

Johnny he’s gone awa’ na fer all time

I threw ma bruther oot

Inta tha rubbish bin

Afta I’d burned every bit of ‘im

He’d pissed me off

Turnin’ up in ma dreams

Like liquorice an’ a spit of salt

Like black cloud

A bad fart

He hung about

Fillin me hed wi’ dreams

Of Johnny 

When Johnny did na exist

But I did

An’ I was havin’ na more of that!

‘Em big boots!

Tramplin’ ma hed

An’ me whimperin’ in ma sleep

Like a bairn! Like a babby!

Me awake’ in’ up at every soond

The cold sweat, Johnny,

Of havin’ ye about the hoose

Like a gun shot in the night

Like an echo of a bad ‘un 

that dunno ta let be

He hung himself

It was him or me

And Johnny

Yer ha’ ta go

I tore Johnny into strips

And watched by the cat

I set Johnny on fire

Until he was ashes

I burned every bit of him

That came to me

Twenty five years on

And then I put him in a jar

And made him go

I threw ma bruther

Inta’ tha rubbish bin

It’s been quiet since he’s a gone

Na dreams

Na shadows stalkin’ me at night

Na one to play marbles in me heed

I am back to bein’ me

Bye Johnny, bye-bye

Stay away is all I’ll say

An wherever yer are

In this life marra

Yer now done

So stay gone !

January 2012, Sydenham