10    Stones

1 – The Cannibal God

Quartered for years the earth inside dies

Discordant again all humanity sighs

But broken by doubt this subject’s attention

Is given ascent by artistic intention

As shrinking light arrives contentments rise

Though your sport lacks the rights Thebes denies

The idiot whistles, the atmosphere collapses

Staggering, stumbling his raving voice lapses

The dramatic ingress of pink noise covers

A lucky shot the bravest mark discovers

Eager for release by a gentle friends’ hand

Condemned and confused he cannot stand

So the deafening oak event is one to make

The controller of ubiquitous stardust wake

2 – The Bulimic Demon

The problematic image dies every year,

but it is necessary and in this case

is the game you have no right to stay in.

No matter how old you are

they cross the street and

they spit angry words.

On the day of your autopsy,

no one is allowed to lie, criticize

or insult his fellow journalists

Now oak sawdust and dust control

are definitely widely available,

rocks decide the future of the city.

(Geoffrey Mark Matthews 17 June  2022)

11

1 – Asmodeus’ Die

(110 sang the refrains of J.)

He moaned of loss:

“You have a lucky shot and are eager to be the bravest”

The Demon retorted: “You are too eager for release by hand, but mark your gait well my gentle friend, for at any moment I may obfuscate your gaping screams”

But the young man would not be cowed:

“Song and stele that ne’er clutched your dentition’s grip; all that was available in the city has lapsed, the dramatic ingress of your god of stones dies upon a distant star!”

“But I am patient” quoth the demon “My pitch covers wildly the future. No matter how well you autopsy, the earth dies still”

“I will delay you and your lords” said the lad “No matter, how you cross the street or lie, or spring from any unseemly angle.”

A gaggle of journalists had gathered to watch the pair.

One named Kczello cried out in confused concentration:

“Which star have you left out?!” he cried in anguish “See! The day remains and Eris, collapses, staggering…” His raving voice faltered “from afar have I cast her and ran off in haste!”

“Again” said the demon calmly “no matter how old you are, no matter how you fly, the atmosphere of thieves is your gain and loss.”

The lad though, gathered himself and spoke up once more:

“You may cross the street all you wish, but the problematic image never ceases, only the fly remains!”

“And how old exactly are you?” said Kczello

The demon and lad knew not which of them he addressed and so replied at once:

110 as the refrain of J goes

2 – Corporate Saw

Broken by coal, risen through your sport,

This thorny icon perishes annually,

One day allows a fellow his right,

Another doubts this subject,

Humanity sighs…

She is insulted by no one —except that deafening controller

The game is one in which one must fail to feel the touch,

At this she excels for her waking attention does not shrink

Instead she grasps the meaning of dreams:

“Now the oak may definitely decide for the rock!”

Is a commonly spoken event,

A professional coroner, she regularly quartered journalists and years alike,

For both lie with equal ubiquity.

3 – A Problem

A new bull god that hoped to be,

More than powerful than great Apis of Egypt,

Yet he lacked the rights to create stardust,

And so leaned forward with his pitch,

beseeching other deities to grant this boon,

Those hoary great ones listened and replied:

In this case there is no right for you to be and hence you have no right to stay.

Were you a lion, things might have been different, but you are not and though it is like a game, it is one you have lost.”

(Graham  26 July 2022)

9      Corpus Callosum,

A quartet of days live beyond the firmament,

For each one a wolf howls in a certain harmony,

Whilst an expert in festivities provides sleep for the occasion,

In autumn I learned that leaping has a certain power,

In winter I shrank from that dreadful baying,

In spring I met a maiden called Beth,

Yet by summer her shade grew so long it left me,

All wolves know to fear the marksman,

All marksmen know to fear the bullroarer,

That ally of all beasts who makes the earth convulse,

A proud God with four hands caught in eternal gesture,

His agent, the polestar guides the way of all things,

Four score times I listened for these days,

Four more times I slept in all ways.

(Graham  31 May 2022

10    Stones

1 – The Cannibal God

Quartered for years the earth inside dies

Discordant again all humanity sighs

But broken by doubt this subject’s attention

Is given ascent by artistic intention

As shrinking light arrives contentments rise

Though your sport lacks the rights Thebes denies

The idiot whistles, the atmosphere collapses

Staggering, stumbling his raving voice lapses

The dramatic ingress of pink noise covers

A lucky shot the bravest mark discovers

Eager for release by a gentle friends’ hand

Condemned and confused he cannot stand

So the deafening oak event is one to make

The controller of ubiquitous stardust wake

2 – The Bulimic Demon

The problematic image dies every year,

but it is necessary and in this case

is the game you have no right to stay in.

No matter how old you are

they cross the street and

they spit angry words.

On the day of your autopsy,

no one is allowed to lie, criticize

or insult his fellow journalists

Now oak sawdust and dust control

are definitely widely available,

rocks decide the future of the city.

8      Precious, little rock

Before Alan dies I take the knife and head home

As the clouds fall over the rocks I hope the devil

will rest—so small an ask for the next part

He sleeps with everyone in the house—it is very

popular—but then Blackbeard fuels every brave blade

by shooting up the insomniacs with his madness

In Turkey the wells tremble in the north and 

the water rises heating up wringing hands

from which the Lord removes shameful gloves

The water covers that northern house now

the winged old music and the ignorant Yeti

leave—for this is the day of their demise

(Geoffrey Mark Matthews 21 May 2022)

9      Corpus Callosum,

A quartet of days live beyond the firmament,

For each one a wolf howls in a certain harmony,

Whilst an expert in festivities provides sleep for the occasion,

In autumn I learned that leaping has a certain power,

In winter I shrank from that dreadful baying,

In spring I met a maiden called Beth,

Yet by summer her shade grew so long it left me,

All wolves know to fear the marksman,

All marksmen know to fear the bullroarer,

That ally of all beasts who makes the earth convulse,

A proud God with four hands caught in eternal gesture,

His agent, the polestar guides the way of all things,

Four score times I listened for these days,

Four more times I slept in all ways.

The next mutated couplet in the sequence:

7        Mountain High

Upon rising from a bed of moss (to a dusty spire)

I entreated them to take of Christ’s body

And through this sarcophagy a remote contact was established

Five pine trees like steeples

Drank the blood red wine

And lumbered softly on

I took a stone lathe and forged a great tower,

I paid no more heed to whispering messiahs,

Nor the voice of the grove

The wind blew through the velvet canvas.

And from out it spake the echoey words

“Small coins melt upon demand (or request).”

(Graham  16 May 2022)

8      Precious, little rock

Before Alan dies I take the knife and head home

As the clouds fall over the rocks I hope the devil

will rest—so small an ask for the next part

He sleeps with everyone in the house—it is very

popular—but then Blackbeard fuels every brave blade

by shooting up the insomniacs with his madness

In Turkey the wells tremble in the north and 

the water rises heating up wringing hands

from which the Lord removes shameful gloves

The water covers that northern house now

the winged old music and the ignorant Yeti

leave—for this is the day of their demise

(Geoffrey Mark Matthews 21 May 2022)

The next two poems in the Mutations sequence.

6        City twins

There are no steps from crossing to pavilion

from pavilion to massacre

and no distinction from cyber-attack and murder

Three people

we walk from tall tree

to other tall trees

My servants (our slaves) see great altars

and make great sacrifices of their bodies

naked in the darkness

If you are content don’t underestimate the language

and don’t go into the desert where the tone of voice

constantly changes and challenges your abilities

(Geoffrey Mark Matthews 9 May 2022)

7        Mountain High

Upon rising from a bed of moss (to a dusty spire)

I entreated them to take of Christ’s body

And through this sarcophagy a remote contact was established

Five pine trees like steeples

Drank the blood red wine

And lumbered softly on

I took a stone lathe and forged a great tower,

I paid no more heed to whispering messiahs,

Nor the voice of the grove

The wind blew through the velvet canvas.

And from out it spake the echoey words

“Small coins melt upon demand (or request).”