When the Dogs Bite

Friday, 16 October 2026

16th October 2026

dental visit

followed by shopping trip

bags of doughnuts

I don't play fair because I am old;

and though I don't tire as easily on the mats

I do get dizzy sometimes

and I'd rather finish fights quickly

than prolong a bout in the search

of the perfect flying armbar.

If it's any consolation

I'll teach you everything I know

all the wrist locks and heel hooks

how to choke someone to sleep

and how to make them cry out in pain

because they tried to hurt you

or someone you were protecting;

and if you're determined to fight

I'll show you how to stay lawful

while sowing chaos on the street.

Thursday, 15 October 2026

15th October 2026

portraiture

on a television show

Yes! You can!

poetry

from two decades ago --

was I better then?

my writing fresher?

or am I more nuanced?

more focused on the world

instead of always the Self?

Except this one, obviously.

Wednesday, 14 October 2026

14th October 2026

night walk

woodsmoke on the air

deserted street

away, away

away with the doldrums

away with the fairies

the fearies

and the furies

away with the confidence

with the discipline

the self control

and the image projected to the world.

away

away.

Tuesday, 13 October 2026

13th October 2026

blustery day

of course it's bin day too.

airborne plastics

Empty Stadium in Ohio

"There's more ice than ever before," he says,

and I wonder if he means his whisky glass

because he must have had a lot today

to wash down his heart meds, his blood thinners,

and his Alzheimer's relief

because why else would we be uncovering

more artifacts than ever before

exposed by the shrinking ice caps

and the hypocrisy of politics

as backdoor deals are made with China;

with Russia; with North Korea;

and does Sarah Palin still watch "them Ruskies"

from her kitchen window in Alaska

or is she more worried about Danes

and those warmongering Canadians?

Monday, 12 October 2026

12th October 2026

rusted metal

rescued, varnished, painted

artistry

Doppel-shift

Maybe what you saw

wasn't me at all; but my co-joined twin.

We were separated after birth

with me, the whole one,

going on to a full, if oddly gendered life

and he, a collection of missing teeth and bones,

studied all his life in a lab

until he escaped at twenty-seven.

We only spoke once,

but he was jealous of my life and loves

and swore to wreak revenge

on anyone I cared for.

They're all dead now, of natural causes,

and it wasn't me, I swear.

Sunday, 11 October 2026

11th October 2026

stinky bedroom

at six in the morning

Cookie's diarrhoea

Manners

do you remember when we were kids

we walked to Rowney Green

and bought a packet of crisps each

and a bottle of pop between us.

You walked backwards up the hill

eating Walkers Sweet and Sour,

spitting out the sour ones

onto the hot, dry road.

The women behind you asked you why

and you said you didn't like them

and I was so embarrassed by you

I never went there again.

Saturday, 10 October 2026

10th October 2026

frightened cat

racing through a fence gap

Widget follows

Temptation

I was tempted by someone

(most would say 'the Devil'

but He doesn't do that)

to buy a bacon cob

in a crusty white bap

with a fried egg and cheese

and a free coffee.

I considered it

for the length of time it took

to walk past the shop

and far enough away to not turn back

because the smell was wonderful

but I gave up meat

because pigs are as intelligent as dogs

and an octopus even more so

and if I ate pig now

(barring starvation and end-of-world scenarios)

where would it lead?

I've heard the warnings:

one bite of bacon

is a downward slope to snatching babies

and frying them with mushrooms and onions

Society as a whole frowns on that

and bake you to death

in your own kitchen oven.