Elephant Small
Vol 2
Stanski
Copyright©2013 Stanski
Crawling Distance
In Decline
The Night Jasmine
The Fourth Millennium
Hotel 27
A Fetish For Frustration
Elephant Small Vol 1
Cover photo © Stanski
Elephant Small
Vol 2
Contents
1. Farewell
2. Vital
3. New Horizons
4. Bat Mantra
5. Phoney War
6. Right To Reply
7. Coming To Terms
8. Lady Blue
9. Before And After
10. The View From Limbo
11. Can Heaven Wait?
12. Self-Taught
13. Seeing The Light
14. Poetic Justice
15. Heroes
16. Gobsmacked
17. Two Types Of Obedience
18. One Discovery Leads To Another
19. Tough Guy Dad
20. What Doesn’t Kill You
21. Your Thing
22. Splitting The Infinitive, Splitting Up Infinity
23. Cliché Clash
24. Where’s The Justice?
25. Isn’t It?
26. Vote For…?
27. Ballot Box Blues
28. An Economy Of Words
29. Serial Chiller… Or A Warning…?
30. Sense Of Expectation
31. Duogenic
32. Ask A Silly Question…
33. Sound As A Pound
34. Jury’s Out
35. Winter Break
36. Tradition Of Travesty
37. No Drama
38. Regret
39. Another Day; Another… New Year?
40. Eternal
About The Author
1. Farewell
Once the life and soul, now visibly weakened
Reduced to a shadow of his former self
Comforted by the intimacy of friends
Intimidated by confusion, conflict
But no stranger to the bloody battlefields
Fatigued by the frequency of Friendly Fire
And misadventure of misguided missiles
Sustaining the shots, he still soldiered on
To epic encounters with the enemy
Erosion, attrition, have taken their toll
He lives – after a fashion – to tell the tale
And serve as a warning; unheeded, ignored
By those who believe in the Greater Glory
Who bear not the scars, the constant reminder
That every single life is expendable
In years to come, when the family gather
To bid their farewell’s, as they lay him to rest
A message, etched forever in stone, will read
“Here lies a hero, in need of a cure
Unbeaten in battle, yet losing the war”
2. Vital
The precious gift of life is a heartbeat
Each moment is defined by a heartbeat
From cradle to grave, first round to final
Thoughts, words and actions hang on a heartbeat
Unscheduled pace of youth; now fast, now slow
Reflecting the rhythm of a heartbeat
Maturity mellows me to the core
Choices no longer take but a heartbeat
Age slows my mind as time accelerates
Existence condenses to a heartbeat
Preparing to meet the maker of hearts
A tribute is expressed through a heartbeat
As vital signs fade, one thought remains strong
I long for that throb; yearn for a heartbeat
To feel the pulse just one more time, I’d give
Everything I possess in a heartbeat
3. New Horizons
Road signs; no help
Their hieroglyph markings
Display a language you can’t understand
Traffic signals
Familiar warning
A universal colour-code command
Through the red light
To a head-on collision
In your haste to reach the point of no return
Through the green light
A twisting path to freedom
But if you keep your eyes on the road
If you keep your hands on the wheel
Just a matter of time before you learn
Read the signs in the eyes of your mind
Keep a safe distance
And don’t get too close to arrogance
Pride will cause distraction
Each and every action
Requires a choice, a decision, a reaction
But if you make the wrong one, you’ll get nowhere
That’s not a place you want to go
You just escaped the living hell of nowhere
4. Bat-Mantra
Daylight divides and conquers
Giving each master a slave
We lead and our shadows follow
Loyal from cradle to grave
Life exists in our shadows
Dark thoughts dominate the shade
At night time we’re reunited
As both light and shadow fade
Shadows return to their hosts
For safe-keeping through the night
Bedtime companions till morning
When we’re exposed to the light
Dreams guard over our shadows
But nightmares can overtake
Revealing to us a dark side
We tether when we awake
Never allow our shadows
The chance to show us the way
If we become our shadows
Darkness will reign over day
5. Phoney War
Wake me up when the war starts
I wouldn’t like to be late
For my first day in action
On the front line
When they begin dropping bombs
And testing our defences
Will you be there, by my side?
Or underground?
I will wear my uniform
Display my true colours
I should be decorated
For bravery
I have seen active service
In previous encounters
But we always defeat them
Different this time?
Could you bear it to lose me?
Would you weep at my graveside?
Do I really need to ask?
Nothing changes
They say war is just like love
Nothing is against the rules
What am I talking about?
There are no rules
So when this war is over
Do I go back to sleep then?
And continue my nightmare?
Or will you stay?
6. Right To Reply
Inside the minds of those who think they know
Attention to the rules is paramount
I wonder why we don’t still live in caves
If we were born to follow, not to lead.
The truth is, we will harvest what we sow
Don’t think our contribution doesn’t count.
The best ideas come and go in waves
Ignore them and we’ll never plant the seed.
To forward thinkers, rules are introduced
Not to be broken, merely to evolve
Along with change in time and attitude
Developing within our heart and mind.
What starts life ‘hard and fast’ is often used
To
guide us through the problems that we solve
And purists everywhere will claim “It’s crude!”
While suckling on the rules they hide behind
Eventually, it’s ‘guidelines’ that emerge
So we don’t stray too distant from the point
Which in this case is speaking thoughts in words
So speak your mind, not that of other folk
And if we’re able to survive the purge
That throws our best intentions out of joint
We’ll learn to stand alone, not roam in herds
Safety in numbers? To me that’s just a joke
But if you think they’re all out to get you
You’re probably just out to get yourself
Because you’re not so quick now on the draw
Their rules will always take somebody down
If you don’t think you’re up to something new
You’re going to let them beat you to yourself
Up goes the white flag, admitting to your flaw
Another fair cop – it’s you who looks the clown
What happened to that confident young man
So full of idealistic aggression?
Did he listen too hard to his critics
And opt for the quiet, peaceful life instead?
That man who always said “Because I can!”
No longer speaks with such heartfelt passion
When they told him his game was ‘just not cricket’
“The competition’s much too strong,” he said
Confidence will translate to arrogance
But performers always hold the stronger stance
Don’t ask permission; speak your mind – dictate!
7. Coming To Terms
Tell me I’m wrong; tell me I got it wrong
You think you’re right; you always think you’re right
If I were you, I know what I would do
Keep out of sight, so we don’t have to fight
Competition; you want pole position
You won’t take less than a resounding ‘yes’.
If I say ‘no’, you just tell me to go
Let’s take a guess; my fault we’re in a mess?
Each time you say you want things your own way
You change your mind, telling me I’m unkind
It’s very sad; the things we could have had
But what we find, is we left it behind
Where did it go; the love you used to show?
You were so good; you always said we could
Beat all the odds. You believed that the gods
Were in the know, and our future would glow
If we were true to ourselves, really true
We’d learn from past mistakes and make it last
For our lifetime. Now that we’re in our prime
We shouldn’t rue all the things we’ve been through
Let’s make a vow, as we stand, here and now
What made us cry can just lie down and die
We will never forget its forever
I love you now; I’ll never forget how
8. Lady Blue
Lady Blue, why do you weep?
Am I really worth your tears?
Better men have held your heart
Shared your passion, nursed your fears
What do you dream, Lady Blue
Behind the shroud of darkness?
Night-times veil insulates
Your secret, silent desires
Intimacy deserts you
Lady Blue, when we’re alone
What are those latent feelings?
Do they yearn another one?
Still, you cry, when you’re alone
Your subconscious, Lady Blue,
Mourns the passing of our love
A love I believed was true
I’m a stronger person now;
My honest self-assessment.
Lady Blue, your love-light pales
Afraid of my commitment?
You drag your past behind you
Characteristically
It’s another ‘Lady Blue’
Lame idiosyncrasy
Turmoil ravages my thoughts
Lost Souls and I, take a walk
Brings me back to my senses
Lady Blue, I want to talk
I came to a decision
Based on my time spent with you
My verdict, my conclusion
You are not my Lady blue
9. Before And After
My dream is the light
That pours from my hands
It gives me strength,
And the courage I lack
I have good cause
To trust in its demands
As it guides me and
Guards me from attack
This ear to ear smile
I’ll never replace
It will bring me
Good luck, and line my purse
In later life
I will assume my place
Among legends
Celebrated in verse
Abreast of advances
I’ll guarantee
My spot in the limelight
The public gaze
Dynamic and
Flexible, all will see
My life’s achievements
Are worthy of praise
My reality
Darkness; broken strands
Weakness as
The glow fades
To grey; light black
Lost faith, lost direction
In foreign lands
Beaten, forsaken
And stabbed in the back
Emotions betrayed
I’ve no poker face
Life has prepared me to
Expect the worse
In youth I was able
To set the pace
Yesterday’s blessing; life
Is today’s curse
The onslaught of
Modern technology
Cast me adrift
In an uncharted maze
Aggressive, relentless
- A Tsunami
Scatters its debris
…All my yesterdays
10. The View From Limbo
We used to be close, but now
You spend too much time reading
THAT BOOK
What is the fascination?
You never show emotions
In your day-to-day routine
As that volume can inspire
IS THE STORY
A work of classic fiction?
Will it become a movie?
A compelling biopic?
It is a biography
But not a very long one
Still, for years you have read…and read
Ignoring my discomfort
These should have been the best years
OF MY LIFE
11. Can Heaven Wait?
Gather your thoughts, collect your ideas
Your time will come before you even know
No time for blaming others for your faults
When it’s your turn, it’s really time to go
A relative’s identification
Confirms; ‘Long live the queen; the king is dead!’
Ten million people watching TV
Witness the event, ‘live’; unedited
“He’ll go to heaven, rest assured
He never did a bad thing, good old Geoff
Other people will have to wait their turn”
But it doesn’t work that way in ‘real death’
Candidates are literally dying
To qualify for life’s eternal ‘prize’
Goodness knows, the population’s striving
To claim its reward; try it on for size
Behind the scenes, evil men wait each day
To catch the unsuspecting, unawares
Heavens gates, only a
lifetime away
“It’s Hell on Earth,” so some say; “No-one cares”
“They can always go to their confessor
And he’ll absolve their deepest, darkest sins”
In life, they’re bad; in death, they’re even worse
The final test will see who really wins
Some think they’re really going to make it
Never stopping, thinking, asking why
They did the things they did, without conscience
They’ll face the Great Confessor in the sky
It’s not something everyone believes in
Some people are content with what they’ve got
Which isn’t really much, let’s be honest
There IS more to life; believe it or not
12. Self-Taught
A school
For fools
Teachers teaching
Preachers preaching
Education?
Incantation
Ignorance
Intolerance
We don’t need it
They will feed it
Our attack?
Our pay-back?
Work today
Our own way
Learn it elsewhere
Wing and a prayer?
We’re not fazed
Be amazed
Be prepared
We’re not scared
It’s just a case of
Mind over matter
13. Seeing The Light
Sleeping gets me dreaming
Waking gets me thinking
All day long I’m working
What is this thing called ‘life’?
Dreaming is just a thought
Thinking is just hard work
Working is just my life
Life is just like a dream
Dreams turn into nightmares
Thoughts become ideas
Working becomes a drag
Life is always too short
Finalise my labours,
Concepts, vitality
When I meet my maker
My life will become death
At the very moment
I give myself to God
All I’ve thought, dreamed, worked for
Will make it all worth while
14. Poetic Justice
A blank expression on his face