POETRY

Last piano (for Leonard Cohen)

You’ve played your last piano,

You’ve picked your last guitar

You gave your life to poetry

To find out who you are

You expressed the loneliness

Behind the brave facade

Gave comfort to the comfortless

Whose lives were bruised and hard

You’ve played your last piano

You’ve picked your last guitar

You showed the world your poetry

Your pimples and your scars

You expressed the loneliness

Of pushing things too far

But I loved your sense of humour

And the way you raised the bar

Your love of words and women

Your befuddled Shangri-la

As you embraced the mystery

That grows each fragile star

You’ve played your last piano

You’ve picked your last guitar

Be good to yourself

Be good to yourself, be good to yourself, be to yourself, be good

Cos sometimes you’re falling right down in hole

Be good to yourself, be good to yourself

And sometimes you’re spinning right our of control

Be good to yourself, be good to yourself

Sometimes you’re derailed on the gravy train

Sometimes a player in a crazy game

Well look out, the ref’ll come and take your name

So be good to yourself, be good to yourself, be to yourself, be good

Ha!, Be good to yourself, be good to yourself, be to yourself, be good

Then sometimes you’re moving on a path that heals

Be good to yourself, be good to yourself

And sometimes you collide with someone who feels

Be good to yourself, be good to yourself

Sometimes you stop cos there’s a traffic light

Sometimes you wrong when you wanna be right

And sometimes it’s safer keeping out of sight

Be good to yourself, be good to yourself, be to yourself, be good

Ha! Be good to yourself, be good to yourself, be to yourself, be good

Then sometimes I wonder who the hell I am

Be good to yourself, be good to yourself

Well sometimes I’m nothing but a door that slams

Be good to yourself, be good to yourself

And sometimes a monkey locked up in a zoo

And sometimes a telephone ringing for you

And sometimes I really haven’t got a clue

So be good to yourself, be good to yourself, be to yourself, be good

Cos sometimes you’re falling right down in hole

Be good to yourself, be good to yourself

And sometimes you’re spinning right our of control

Be good to yourself, be good to yourself

Sometimes you’re derailed on the gravy train

Sometimes a player in a crazy game

Well look out the ref’ll come and take your name

So be good to yourself, be good to yourself, be to yourself, be good

Ha! Be good to yourself, be good to yourself, be to yourself, be good

Huh! Be good to yourself, be good to yourself, be to yourself, be good

Be good to yourself, be good to yourself, be good to your self…….be…………good

Measured disgrace

The moment I saw you I knew you’d be gone

Lost to my touch if I tried to hold on

There’s miles of indifference if put to your face

I stare at your beauty and measured disgrace

Close to each other and we’re gliding back

Into those pictures, those feelings we had

To feel you so near me but so far away

Brings a knocking of bells, of our wedding day

Now we’re cold in the winter and summer the same

Hoelessly thinking why is it we came

And we can’t find the words to let go of the pain

So we slip into silence – we’re in it again

We’re in it again

Nakedness beckons but no-one’s at home

My manhood just hangs there like a mass of foam

My love oh my love how could it come to this

The two of us naked, we don’t even kiss

Now the fire in the stove that lights the room

And gives out some heat not a moment too soon

As the meat for our dinner is up on the shelf

As raw as our hearts as they reach, they reach somewhere else

Now we’re cold in the winter and summer the same

Hoelessly thinking why is it we came

And we can’t find the words to let go of the pain

So we slip into silence – we’re in it again

We’re in it again

Write a poem

When you’re sick to the teeth of the way things are going