ASCENSION Everyone will bow down onto gravelly knee, just to see how better they’re than me. Legacy, in time survives me, does it much better than me cos nobody’s coming after me, no, my sweet, no forgotten daughter turning up to claim her fortune, not that she’d get that much anyway. Lethargy’s disease has taken over my soul, it seems a lot of work to fix it now. Gravity’s disease is dragging me out to the sea, ain’t no size boat been built can save me now. Gravity and Lethargy worked hard to take him down, but they’d need an ally if they’re gonna sink him. NOTHING AT ALL Took a photographic picture Put it on the kitchen fridge, if anybody noticed they said nothing at all. Took the picture down and put it in a leather coffin, buried in the garden doing nothing at all. One day in the future in whatever decade suits you in what was once my garden they’ll be digging a hole. And everyone will fall upon this box from who knows when it’s from and try to keep the contents to themselves all alone. No one would’ve ever guessed the treasure hidden in the chest. A photograph of absolutely nothing at all. DON’T BLINK Old man, old man coming to get you Old man from the inside, hide, Old man, old man coming to get from the inside from the inside. Must be my ears are packing up, they say that they’re the first to go, Cos I’ve been hearing round the old town, Somerstown, that you look better than most. My eyes are playing up, from staying up watching Get Stuffed! You say I ain’t seen nnnothing yet, but bbbbbaby I seen enough. I seen the old man, coming to get you, old man from the inside, hide, Old man coming to get you from the inside, from the inside. I’m wishing that my vision ain’t diminishing, I use it nearly every day. The lighting’s bright enough to make a decision, It’s telling me you ain’t looking great. Your eyes are sunken, you’re drunk, it’s not to be ignored, That over time you’ve gotten fat and somehow more withdrawn. When your missus left you so did your charisma, we measure it in follicles. If you need a re-cap to reflect when your kneecaps refuse to reflex then be next to be ex-molecules. Coming to get you, old man from the inside, hide, Old man coming to get you from the inside, from the inside. Old man, old man old man old man. AN IRISH GOODBYE Backaway! Nobody’s looking, now you do the Backaway, Discreetly toward the door like you were never there. No one will notice and no one will ever care if you’re alive or you’re dead. Come on now! Backaway! One foot then t’other, that’s it, do the Backaway! Don’t draw attention and don’t fall over, Backaway! Out of the door and before you can call it, It’s like you were never there. Come on now! By Tom Moody