Elephant Small
Vol 4
Stanski
Copyright©2013 Stanski
Crawling Distance
In Decline
The Night Jasmine
The Fourth Millennium
Hotel 27
A Fetish For Frustration
Elephant Small Vol 1
Elephant Small Vol 2
Elephant Small Vol 3
Cover photo © Stanski
Elephant Small
Vol 4
Contents
1. When Will It Dawn On Them?
2. Syllable Sestinas
3. Do You Know The Way To…?
4. I Want
5. Tone Deaf
6. Basic Alchemy
7. Deadlines
8.Cost Of Living
9. No Mask Required
10. En Éclairant
11. My Heroes
12. Far Eastern Promise
13. No Pain, Only Gain
14. Gambler Explains Vision
15. The Age Of Consent
16. Good Men And True
17. Animal Practice
18. Another Holiday Cancelled
19. Rock ‘N’ Roll
20. Message In A Bottle
21. and they all lived
22. Happiness
23. Walking Wounded
24. Escape, Hum, Vibrant
25. The PNG Jib
26. Uncommon Valour
27. I Have Tried In My Way To Be Free
28. Coalition
29. Enlightenment… Don’t Know What It Is
30. Hung, Drawn And Quartered
31. Jack
32. Taking Stock
33. A Man Needs A Dog
34. Tough Life
35. Aphrodisiac Eyes
36. Overstating The Terroir
37. Dog Eat Dog
38. Dad
39. Non Ci Resta Che Piangere
40. Buon Appetito
41. Dreamtime
42. The Future
43. bad day
44. Joined At The Hip
45. Oral Hygiene
46. Who Are They?
47. XS
48. Intensive
About The Author
1. When Will It Dawn On Them?
It was not the Vuvuzelas
It was not the match ball
It was not the training facilities
It was not the match officials
It was not the playing surface
It was not the altitude
It was not the attitude
It was not the team coach
It was not the team selection
It was not the team tactics
It was not the missed chances
**************************
It was not the injury list
It was not the fans reactions
It was not the time added on
It was not a fluke
It was not fixed
It was not fair
It was just not cricket
It was not the world cup that was
It was the world cup that was not
It was not that we was not lucky
…We was robbed!
2. Syllable Sestinas
Syllable Sestina.
Nasty teen lad says ‘dull’,
Collapses silver sheen,
Regal La-Di-Da-ness.
Guess queen will sulk at that.
Can flashiness fulfil?
This is not poetry!
We deserve fizz! No hot-
shot free proses, Mister!
“Sir got his thesis, no?”…?
“Lower piss-pot pleases”…?
‘Tis no-meter rot, this!
When will we understand
and end her villainy?
Three tanned gunmen thrilled her.
Her evil band then stun,
plunder twenty grand, kill
Jill Dunne and her G-Men.
3. Do You Know The Way To...?
"PAST the football stadium;
IT’S about a mile from here.
AROUND the first roundabout;
TURN right onto Princess Street.
I think that’s what the road's called;
FAST-food take-outs all along,
SO many you can’t miss it.
GOES a bit fuzzy from here;
JUST slow down a bit, you’ll see.
DAY Centre’s well sign-posted.
EACH Monday, someone asks me."
4. I Want
I made myself what I am
You cannot help but adore
Terms and conditions are mine
I want all you have, and more
I demand your loyalty
Your affection, your respect
In return for your kindness
…Nothing …What did you expect?
Give me your love; I’ll cheat you
Give me your money; it’s spent
Give me all your possessions
To squander is my intent
I only want it to say
‘Been there, done that, seen it all’
Then I just want the next thing
You live to answer my call
Only one thing left I want
I want it so much, I’d die
Without this thing I desire
…The answer to ‘Who am I?’
Once I have self-awareness
I’ll have everything, for sure
But when I own this knowledge
I won’t want it anymore
5. Tone Deaf
A song is but a little thing,
And yet, what joy it is to sing!
At least for those who have a voice
But what of those who have no choice?
We nod our heads, whistle along
Tap to the rhythm of the song
But singing is not in my power
I don’t even sing in the shower!
6. Basic Alchemy
Bespoke transmutation;
Aurum aspiration.
Science Fiction, or Fact?
Intuitive, exact?
Chemistry to dote on,
Adrift by three Protons.
Lost, Black Arts, by design -
Changing water into wine,
Harvesting Gold from Lead -
Exist inside my head.
Midas-touch thoughts take hold
Yearning elusive Gold
7. Deadlines
Delivery due
Efficiency expected
All about action
Damaging delays
Lengthening laid-back lead-times
Intolerable!
Nearly; not needed
Early elevates earnings
Success satisfies
NAPOWRIMO
Natural reaction
Admittedly cautious
Trepidation? Hardly
Inevitable result
Often misinterpreted
Never a dull moment though
Absolutely fabulous
Laden with fun and laughter
Pretty serious at times
Obviously demanding
Entertaining the muse
Trying to stay on the ball
Reasonably free of stress
Yahoo helped out quite a bit
Whether or not I finish
Remains a thing to be seen
Imagination willing
Thirty pieces is my aim
Inspiration is vital
Notwithstanding peer pressure
Gluttons for punishment, all
Mediocre arrangement
Offerings not worth their salt
Not on this boy’s agenda
That’s the theo
ry at least
8. Cost Of Living
I had this verse I couldn’t add to:
In life’s no-win situation
No control
Make a pact with scheming Satan?
Sell your soul?
Life eternal, or damnation
In the fiery flames of Hell
Mortal life-span; short vacation
Spend it well
Until now…:
Tune…? How about –
CCCC FFGG CCC
CCCC FFGG CCC
AAAA FFGG
CCCC FFG
CCCC FFGG
CCC
2 NEW STANZAS
Is it worth the outcome? Are you
Satisfied?
Terms, conditions in your favour?
You decide
Don’t allow constraints to bar you
From the choice you’d rather make
Made in haste, decisions scar you
Give and take
All the world knows death is certain
Life’s unfair
Count your blessings, not your money
Be aware
Tolerate your circumstances
Many others worse off still
Invoice due, no second chances
Pay the bill
9. No Mask Required
Within the mask – deception
Without the mask – yet more lies
It can often be that way
As we live - and learn to hide
Sometimes I honestly think
The wisest person I know
Is my two year old daughter...
No Mask necessary here
The light that pours out of her
Is a golden glow – so pure…
Free of adulterated
Artificial influence…
Telling nothing but the truth
Although she can’t speak English
And my Thai – inadequate
Communication happens
And understanding ensues
A level of perception
That we grow in and out of
Some might call it ESP
Others; Perfect Sense Effect
10. En Éclairant
On the bus to work this morning
Top deck, front seat; one place vacant
I sat down beside the loner
Wearing striped top and a beret
Not really paying attention
But a sudden flash filled my thoughts
Certain I knew him from somewhere
Illuminated, I observed
Recognised him by his hair-lip
But he wouldn’t remember me
I was only twelve or thirteen
When he moved from our neighbourhood
I’d heard some stories about him
But I wasn’t expecting this
A Marcel Marceau look-alike
On the bus, sitting next to me!
Workmates told me his second wife
Had asked him to show more passion
Like men in sexy French movies
Monday nights on BBC2
Smoking those Gauloises cigarettes
Or was it Gitanes…? Disque Bleu…?
Had this week’s Paris Match rolled up
In a belt-loop of his Levi’s
Started reading Fin De Partie
Which translates to (Beckett’s) Endgame
Looking deep in concentration
But I know he doesn’t speak French
At least that’s what my friends told me
When we spoke this afternoon
He’d been to France two or three times
Just to humour his Better Half
He only bought the Paris Match
Because Yvette takes her kit off
By the sea on the Cote D’Azur
(Pictures on pages eight and nine)
An amusing thought crossed my mind
As I stood up to disembark
Back in the day, he, a tough guy
Now his wife wears Les Pantalons
I wonder what he’d make of me
If he knew how things had turned out
Back in the day, me, a Tomboy
Now just another Bloke at work
11. My Heroes
‘Humanity’; now a word
Meaning only ‘Human Race’
Values become distorted
Lost to Vanity Culture
-so-
Put away the comic books
Forget the action movies
Concentrate instead on what
The word ‘HERO’ really means:
A person or persons who
Are able to exhibit:
Exceptional qualities
Above and beyond the norm
Courage when faced with danger
Salvation from jeopardy
Compassion, understanding
When others remain aloof
Aptitude, ability
To overcome the inept
Dignity, nobility
To combat the arrogant
-so-
Where do we find such people?
Not in the classified ads
Like charity, my heroes
Begin right here, at home
On the one hand, take my son
He qualifies on all counts
Fearless, kind, intelligent
And composed in times of stress
My daughter, just two years old
The champion’s apprentice
Already has the makings…
Potential Super-Hero
A survivor from day one
She pulled through, despite the odds
Vote for her or her brother?
In truth, my heroes are both
12. Far Eastern Promise
The counterfeit Rolex, a gift from Jakarta
His Armani suits were made in Bangkok
That timepiece cost two hundred thousand Rupiah
Those threads were a snip, at four thousand Baht
In the race for attention, he’s a non-starter
Style; kept in a box he cannot unlock
Along with his Artificial Intelligence
Bought from an ad in Exchange and Mart
He hangs on the hope of a Far Eastern promise
A mail-order bride from the Orient
He’s saving his wages to cover the postage
A few months now - he thinks - she’ll be his wife
He’s throwing his money away, to be honest
Riches; her real husband’s evil intent
He’s holding the poor girl to ransom; a hostage
Guaranteed wage for the rest of his life
He was born in a world of abject poverty
Now he can laugh all the way to the bank
The wallets of six other men hold her image
Not so ‘magnificent’ seven, for sure
“Taking the cash from these fools doesn’t bother me”
He says “One born every day, to be frank”
He grows richer, fatter, while they pay their homage
Hook line and sinker; entranced by the lure
13. No Pain, Only Gain
Waiting was a game the teacher played
Patiently, with one eye on the time
Once all the pupils had arrived, he’d take
The register, but woe betide. The crime
Of being late, incurred his ire; his wrath,
And not a single student chose that path.
Intimidated by his bamboo cane,
Education, no pain; only gain.
14. Gambler Explains Vision
sight one of the five senses
has been acquired in order
to qualify perceptions
light exists and it travels
at a phenomenal speed
encountering obstacles
which may alter or distort
its appearance and its course
filtration and refl
ection
refraction and diffraction
perceptions are conditioned
by the coincidence that
we are able to receive
and make some sense out of light
another coincidence
is our light-receiving eyes
which coincidently too
contain lens pupil iris
as well as the retina
enabling us to perceive
what we know as ‘images’
(and by chance our rods and cones
allow us to recognise
differentiate colours)
all are racing certainties
and blindingly obvious
you could bet your eyes on it
15. The Age Of Consent
Don’t think I left you behind
Be patient; I shall return
Dismayed, but undefeated
By prevailing attitudes
Good-byes are never easy
A love like ours will endure
Farewell; be sure my absence
Is my punishment, not yours
Necessary rules apply
Before closed minds are opened
You and I hold the key that
Can unlock hearts, to our love
Meet disapproval with hope
Again and again, for love
16. Good Men and True
Good patients follow
the good doctor’s advice;
avoid Caffeine; Alcohol.
If they know what’s good for them…
As for my good self,
this is good news; and bad.
… I don’t like Irish Coffee…
but I do like a good drink…
I’ll try to be good,
armed with good intentions
(whether I agree, or not).
What good would complaining do…?
A good thing I know;
one good deed deserves
another one in return,
and good things come to those who…
Wait…! Think, my good man.
The Good Book tells us Jesus
could turn water into wine
… and saved the good stuff till last…
That was a good gig!
A good night had by all;
a wedding to remember,
followed by a good night’s sleep…
Good morning…! Headache…?