THE JOLLY GREEN GIANT
. . .
~ ~ ~
A green giant of a steamroller
All shiny green-grey metal, painted, polished
Made to work, to last, made well
Turning slowly its huge hardened drums
The thunder of which rumbles and snorts
A huge but friendly monster
effortlessly crushing its charge
smoothing everything into one smooth plane
The passage of time, the purpose of nature
Not lost on us all
As we struggle and purpose giving our best
The great iron wheels bloodied by sweat
Glisten, welcoming in the mid-morning light
Rolling on as waves of tide-turned sea
Turqoise green and thinned by waters edge
Lapping, lifting, rushed by moon-tide and
drawn by tropic-sun and arctic-glare
Here before us as these islands draw close
These gentle oasis’, our consolation and ease
Here, the fond memories of youth softened
like yellow leaves in September showers
still ripe and dewy, the fruits thorn
has lost its sharpened edge
by want of feeling not of sense
Here in the midst of our busyness
we find time to ponder for a minute and then again,
the welcome friend, the sobre roll of timpani
and we are again absorbed by this
orchestrated overture, this ball of kitten wool
And when I’m drained and my struggle is over
When I hear nothing but the dense, fetal boom
of wheels whirring and am secure
that once embraced by such cold-hardened form
the blacksmith’s forge could not heat
The rainbow scalded and branded in me
Glowing with an energy incandescant
When I’m crushed and utterly complete
It will be no more eyes-sight-smell-sound
It will be total!
Me and this jolly, green giant
This happy, welcome memory
Again, my nearest friend
I too will play on his machinery
I will marvel at his precision, his purpose
I will laugh as never young man did
I will taste wine as rich as mead
drawn from the centre of the earth
I will be eternal and the mystery will fade
and no longer shall word and thought
stick like crushed pepper in the throat
I will rise and fly as a sea osprey
or lift and flutter as a flight of sparrow
I will dream nothing but warmth and love
I will speak not word that is spoken
I will grow, I will shrink and not ounce of sweat
will grease palm of hand or brow
Only joy will enchant me
not hyena laugh, nor monkey chatter
I am pure, I am innocent
All because of this relentless pursuer
This noble steed draped in coloured cloth
and mounted by silken gladiator
Whose face shines deeply with light
and whose beauty merges both male and girl
His eyes blue, her cheeks ruddy
His hair golden, her neck long and slender
And if the mute colours of this torrid steed
in soft pearl, berry pink and iced cobalt
Whose livery laced with silver studs,
buckles and straps, glistens, enchanting
as the white-gold of bridle and bit
fire in the mouth and his grace stirs the senses
like some deep surge of wonder
If all this beckons we, what need I fear
the splash and fizzle of steam
the gentle and insistent drone
like a myriad army of honey-bees
The crushing ache of limbs caught
in the vice of his attention
I am filled with admiration
I am enthused by tradition and heritage
so regally before me
Me, this petit enfant
this dreamer of dreams
this explorer, voyeur
Me, this terrible romantic
I am no longer overwhelmed
I am at peace
I turn to meet this mystery
hidden from my eyes
They blink and falter
Willingly they close
My arms open,
My mouth soft, smiles
I meet the cold hard wall
I give to it’s extended front
and roll effortlessly
Under, over, under, over
Till I hear from singing in my ears
A haunting strain, a choir building
Like some holy opera
And when I stopped
and told them I had met death
Their faces ashen-white
were alarmed and they
as re-run sportsmen
began to rush, to them with speed
to me like leaden-footed soldiers
forward runners for the great, clad grinder
..
edenbraytoday
07.06.86
…
dedicated to a good friend – Jessica Phiri 05.10.2011















THE ARTMAN #2 – THE SAD MAN and THE GALLOPERS
ORIGINAL VERSION – THE ARTMAN #2
THE SAD MAN and THE GALLOPERS
EDIT 2
…
She looked like Betty Grable, she was and post the Brighton bombing
Maggie had her hair, she might have worn Carmen Miranda’s extravaganza
I didn’t wear a care, for in those days I philandered, selling art materials,
Listened in on Brian Hayes as British lads were sent down Falklands way
…
Listened in to anybody with half a tale, chance often throws up a sale
The sad man came one afternoon, we cope in different ways with grief
Queue up behind our system of belief, sad man trying to turn a new leaf
Concealed his pain in a harmless folly, mourning the loss of his one and only
He coloured in a technical poster, during the days after he had lost her
A working diagram of a fairground Galloper, that he sent for in the post
In our gentle conversation the man who was sad he won my attention
I admired his style, his consideration, as I helped him choose his framing
Back in the centre of our domestic situation we were unaware and green
to a mechanical complication as we set the timer on the washing machine
It leaked, covered the living room Lino, seeped through to the floor below
Having nowhere else to go, sprinkled upon sad man’s poster, a true disaster!
Sad man came to review the damage, I would reimburse him for his trouble
I couldn’t help him colour-in the double, yet in truth I thought he did it better
Possibly not as personal, heart-felt, not racked with grief, certainly not wetter
He thanked me, went on his way with his framed Gallopers, that he got cheaper
…
He had looked a little like Don Ameche with no moustache, so much younger
He had a gentle way, he missed his wife, she’d died of cancer, you learn to listen
To your customer, let them have their say, In that way, your like a counsellor
You cheer them up, pack their purchase, send them on their Argentina way!
…
edenbraytoday
Ref. 28092020
THE ARTMAN – 2 (2ND DRAFT)
THE SAD MAN and THE GALLOPERS
DOWN ARGENTINA WAY
…
She looked like Betty Grable (for she was)
and post the Brighton bombing,
Maggie Thatcher had her hair,
She might have worn a Carmen Miranda,
extravaganza,
I didn’t wear a care,
For in those days I philandered,
selling artists materials,
Listened in on Brian Hayes as
British lads went down Falklands way,
to fight!
…
I listened to anyone with half a tale,
listening, will often throw you up a sale
The sad man came one quiet afternoon,
we cope in different ways with our grief
it queues up behind our systems of belief
Sad man tried to turn over a new leaf
concealed his pain in a harmless folly,
mourning the loss of his one and only
He had coloured in a technical poster,
during the bad days after he had lost her
A working diagram of a fairground Galloper,
he had sent for in the post
In our gentle conversation
the man who was sad, won my attention
I admired his style, his consideration,
and helped him choose his framing
…
Back in the centre of our domestic situation
we, unaware and green
of a mechanical complication
set the timer on our washing machine
It leaked, covered the living room Lino,
seeped through to the floor below – and
Having nowhere else to go,
sprinkled on the sad man’s poster,
that now became a shop disaster
…
The sad man came to review the damage,
I would reimburse him for his trouble
I couldn’t help him colour-in the double,
though in truth I thought it better
Not as personal or heart-felt, not racked
with grief and certainly not wetter!
He thanked me, went on his way proudly
with his new framed Gallopers in its frame
…
He had looked a little like Don Ameche,
without moustache, so much younger
He had gentle ways, he missed his wife,
she had died of cancer, you learn to listen
To your customer, let them have their say,
In that way, you become a counsellor
Cheer them up, pack their purchase,
send them on their Argentina way
edenbraytoday
Ref. 28092020
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