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Thursday, 9 September 2021

LAND SPAGHETTI

 


Out there, is sea spaghetti. It’s a seaweed that resembles a dark green cooked spaghetti, and can be eaten as such. It is wild, organic, salty, tangled in the dark depths. It’s free range.

===

It was revealed to me in a dream- there is a hole in the ground, deep. It is night time. Stood looking down into the hole is my father and an associate; a younger man, very tall, in a denim shirt, who is smoking. My father decides something about the hole, reaches into his jacket and pulls out a little revolver. He passes the gun to his associate, who languidly aims the barrel into the hole. That’s when I see what looks strange for a moment; eight pale emergences, grubs or worms? No- they are fingertips, just visible over the rim of the hole, the hole must be very deep, deeper than a man with his arms stretched up high above his head. These are the fingertips of a man who isn’t using his arms to climb out of the hole, or dig the hole, but he could’ve been doing that until he saw the gun- those are the fingertips of a man begging for his life, his hands high above his head.

===

“Land mate” the ancient creature gasps. “know what done?” it’s eyes roll above the course of the waves, raking the sky, settling on Jacques. “know what done á eternity?” A plume of salty, bloody mist shoots out of its blowhole. A guttural rumble echoes through its throat. “brothers once, broke now. Eternity- halved! Oh…p…pain!” the creatures eyes roll fast into its head, as the bulk of its body begins to rise to float dead on the surface. “know what done- no! no…” a crewman comes besides Jacques with a marking flag on a harpoon, which he throws at the dead beast. “plenty a’ meat on that ‘un”, he tells Jacques.

===

Joey Tribiani looks out the floor to ceiling windows. It’s raining at night in the city; he wears a dressing gown and swirls his brandy in its glass. His voice drifts from the television, as he plays a vhs of days of our lives, featuring himself as Dr Drake Ramoray. Lightning illuminates his apartment, overfilled with expensive sculptures, for an instant. He stares down at the vehicle filled streets, and utters “I piss on you from a height, and tell you it’s rain.” He swigs his liquor, turning away. “and you all believe me.”

Under the floorboards Matt le Blanc’s skeleton rests.

===

"Thanks NHS!" He screams, his finger pulling so hard on the trigger of the assault rifle his fingernails go paper white, a blitzkrieg of bullets vaporizing the ward hallway and all in it. Sweat rolls off of him. "Protect the NHS!" he feverishly yells, smashing office windows in the childrens ward with the butt of the gun; he realises its out of ammo and drops it in favor of two pistols, which he shoots without aiming, randomly, at patients, doctors, nurses, porters... He stops for a moment, screams and moans and alarm bells finally audible with no gunfire. He whispers, "clap for carers," and pulls the pin on the grenade, clutching it tightly to his chest.

===

"Oh goody! You're awake, we can watch Downton Abbey!" He starts doing an excited little jig. You reel around in confusion. "who- who are you?!" you demand. He stops to regard you, head cocked, arms by his sides, smiling. "Me? Why, I'm Delighted!" Sweating and breathless, you look around. You are surrounded by desert.

===

Kennedy is bored but waves anyway as the motorcade trundles on- and then stops. Everything stops. Birds hang in the sky. The crowd is frozen in cheer, the car not moving, even Jackie next to him is glassy, solid, unmoving. “Hello.” He turns- crouched on the back of the car is Dewey Wilkerson, the youngest brother from Malcolm in the Middle, portrayed by Erik Per Sullivan. Though just a young boy, Kennedy is startled silent by an overpowering sense of omnipotence. “This is already written.” Dewey lifts his left hand in the air, in front of JFKs face. “I’m sorry. There’s no choice. It’ll make sense in a century. But-“ he gently touches JFKs forehead, causing it to explode.

Dewey disappears

Time unfreezes

Jackie Kennedy is sprayed with her husband’s, the president’s, brains.

===

You are Fuller from Home Alone. On the night before your family goes to Paris for Christmas, you drink a Pepsi, knowing that it makes you wet the bed and that you have to share a bed with Kevin that night. You smile at him across the room.

You are woken up in the night by a scraggly figure struggling to breathe in the room. You find your glasses and look. It is Macaulay caulkin aged 28. He catches his breath, then tells you “this night changes absolutely everything... every atom... every choice...” he looks hard at you, his unshaven and lined face a mask, his long blond hair like straw. He inhales and disappears as he reaches out to your cheek.

Your bed is soaked in piss because you drank a Pepsi earlier.

===

Boris Johnson leans against the wall in the dark and exhales his cigarette smoke. He lets his head hang back. He's tired. "So, what did you think?" Quampf looks at him with his one eye. Before Quampf can say anything, he sneezes out his other liver. He doesn't care, and soon replies anyway; "QUAMPF!!!!" Johnson smiles. "Thanks buddy. You've been a great help." "QUAMPF!!!!!" Quampf makes an obscure gesture with his stubby green arms. "I know. I know."

"QUAMPF!!!!"

===

You pick the juniper berries off of the prickly twig. ‘Delightful.’ You gently take your huge hairy form through your Forest home. ‘It is good to be alive’ you think, and hum an ancient Sasquatch song to yourself. Then you see it- a human! You’re so excited, it’s been over a century! You clear your throat; you hope they still speak French. It looks a little rattled... what’s that metal thing in its paw?

===

you're getting sick of Eblfetz daemon of the rot crashing at your place, eating all your cereal and watching cartoons all day. you sit on the sofa and pick up the remote. "put on Garfield" he says through a mouthful of coco pops, "or i'll make you Garfield." You sigh, cycling through the channels. "It's not on" you say. "I-I h-hate M-Mondays" you say. "L-l-l-l-l-lasa- lasagna" you say.

===

You are walking on your ancestral lands. It's mid-morning, so the desert sun is building up to searing, but the occasional rocky shade is cool and clean. "<gentle, tigre,>" you say to your dog in Diné. You follow the ancient path down around a rocky carapace, humming a Navajo tune to yourself. The cacti come in to view, dusty and wind battered. Tigre stiffens, and you notice a few footprints in the dust. You unshoulder your rifle, and creep further among the cacti, and finally see him. A white guy with a beard is naked, on a yoga mat, holding his big toes with his legs stretched wide and his asshole pointed at the sun. He has a classic 'tribal' design bicep tattoo, and also a tattoo of a dreamcatcher. He sees you, and says "my dude! Morning! Just gotta absorb some of that sunlight dude! Gotta sunbathe my perineum!" You think about shooting him with the rifle but beat him to death with the rifle butt instead.

===

They have him cornered. "Make him say the shibboleth." One of them steps forward and unbuckles his holster. "Say 'telephone.'" The man breaks into a sweat. "te...tell.... teleRAG N' BONE!!!" No sooner has he said it than the little device is pointed at his head. "please no! don't send me back to the zone!" But it's too late, they press the button on the anti-cockney device and send the cockney back to cockneyland.

===

You get home upset and run to your room crying. You bury your Face in your pillow and think of all the problems that would be solved if only you had that big Mack truck.

Your mother starts to go upstairs to comfort you, but your father grabs her arm.

“Leave him ma, leave him to think about that big Mack truck.”

 ===

He emerges from the shore. Tangled in bladderwrack and kelp, covered in whelks and wriggling things, his moustache green. From his clothes, his hat, we can see that he is a 19th century Italian peasant. The seaside town freezes, as everyone stares, their mouths agape as he makes his way up the mainstreet.

He sits outside a restaurant, crosses his legs, and picks up a menu. He studies it, then puts it down shocked. “Spaghetti… from the land… Land Spaghetti?!”

 

 

Thursday, 10 June 2021

The Glossary


 


words I picked up and carried back with me.

Bristolian Slang/ Words heard in Bristol/ Work Words

-Winkle- to move the right control for an excavator left-to-right vigourously, making the digger bucket curl and uncurl quickly, chipping or scraping away at rock or compact clay.

-Bruck up- broken or messed up.

-Dervs- Diesel fuel (old technical anacronym for Diesel Engine Road Vehicle.)

-Disco Biscuit- Ecstasy Pill.

-Macky- massive. Bristolian slang.

-Wester/ Proper Wester- Someone 'born and bred' in Knowle West, a notriously rough area of South Bristol

-Meader- someone 'born and bred' in Southmead, a notoriously rough area of North Bristol

-Hedgehogs- tufts of grass (especially stalks from flowers or seed heads) that remain sticking up high after a mower has gone over it. Sometimes called 'Mohawk' as well.

-Grey Fleet- Bristol City Council term for the vehicles owned by employees and used for work for the Council.

-A Gurt lush 'un- a very ('gurt') lovely ('lush' possibly short for 'luscious') thing/ person ('un', English slang for 'one' possibly derived from Norman French.) Though a very Bristolian utterance, these words are also common in the West Country in general, and in my native Gloucestershire I think of 'gurt' spelt as 'gert,' reflecting the different vowel vocalisation. 

Possibly invented by myself (nothing to be proud of)

Spug/ to be Spugged- a negative connotation. to get spugged could be beaten up, paraletic, being stupid or injured. to be a spug, or a 'spug head' is to be an idiot, bonehead, or junkie.

Gumbled- mashed or mixed up. To feel gumbled is to feel disoriented or strongly hungover or tired. For something to look gumbled is to not look right.

Blorf-Norf- phrase used to describe feeling somewhat nauseous

Scrunge- mess of miscellaneous size. While working I was struggling how to describe the dirt and bits & pieces left when you hedge cut and then pick up the clippings.

Flamf- bits & pieces, 'stuff', mess.

Wickering- That strange chatter cats do when they're anticipating pouncing on something.

Domestic (at least to me) English terms

-The Side- The kitchen counter/ kitchen side. I thought this was common until I told my partner something was 'on the side' and she asked 'the side of what'?

-Her Indoors- sexist term to describe ones female partner, more likely wife. Incredible how assumptions about gendered spaces, roles and tasks can be packed into two words.

-Big Light- the main light for a room, usually the ceiling light(s) as opposed to other lighting like desk lamps or low level lighting.

-Nice Bread- of the two bread options, the other being 'normal' or 'regular' bread. 'Nice bread' is not only characterised as the nicer bread, it is saved for special uses only, and generally you always have to slice it yourself.

-The Wooden Hill- the staircase. When I was a child, my Dad would often say "Up the Wooden Hill" meaning 'time for bed.'  

General English/ Unsure of Origin

-Stink Pit- The pit or pile made of shot game birds or mammals after a hunt. These are the animals not destined to be eaten, the surplus necessary of blood sport. First learned this phrase in Mary & Bryan Talbot's Rain.

-Sacrifice Zone- an area given over to activities that ecologically damage or economically devalue the zone i.e. landfill sites, bomb test areas, etc.

-Whale Fall- when the carcass of a whale falls to the floor of the ocean and creates a feast moment for the bottom dwellers of the deep.

-Kayfabe- portrayal of staged events in wrestling as authentic and real.

-Cunch- London slang for 'countryside' as a concept, place etc. (thank you to my friend Samia for telling me about this.)

-Smoko- smoke break, Australian. Heard in this song by the Chats

-Cheesed in- the intense need or craving for cheese. Heard from an old work colleague; use; "Paul pull over, I need to get cheesed in."

-Jolly Bite- the final bite or forkful of a meal, that consists of the best-saved-for-last, perfectly seasoned for a final delicious bite. Thanks to my friend Finn for introducing me to this phrase.

-The Pit- an insatiable appetite the result of being hungover or on one's period.

-The Filth- The Police. Obvious reasons.

-West Briton- derogatory term for an Irish person who is perceived as an anglophile (Ireland) Possibly less used is the opposite 'East Yank,' meaning an Irish person perceived to be an Americanophile.

-The Fifth Column- a group already existing in a nation (e.g immigrants and their descendents) that are perceived as a threat during war for their possible treachery. Usually fanatic, for example the internment of Japanese & Japanese-Americans during WWII.

-Ecumenopolis- Conceptual planet-spanning city. Coined by Constantinos Apostolou Doxiadis

-Eperopolis- Conceptual continent-spanning city. Coined by Constantinos Apostolou Doxiadis

-Transitional Love Object- For children, a totem object that represents home and the comforts of familial/ parental love therein, such as a stuffed toy or a blanket. 'Transitional' because it helps with transitioning from the home to the wider world, such as school.

From Graham Greene's Brighton Rock (Implied Shelta Inlfuence)

Bogies- Police

Milky- weak, soft, untrustworthy

Polony- slightly derogatory slang for 'woman'

Buer- definitely derogatory slang for 'woman' possibly from Shelta/ Irish Cant 'Byor'

Other Languages

-Ladino- Judeo-Spanish language spoken by Spanish Jews who then took this language with them after they were forced out by the Spanish requisition. Became the language of Jewish populations in places such as Thessaloniki, Greece, before the Jewish population was decimated by Nazi occupation. Learned from 'The Apostate' by James Angelos in The Passenger Volume 2: Greece about former Thessoniliki mayor Yiannis Boutaris. First stumbled upon this in Primo Levi's The Truce, where I was becoming confused by Levi describing the Greek Jews from 'Salonika' speaking 'Spanish.'

-Fressen- to wolf down, to eat like an animal, as opposed to Essen, the verb for eating. Learned from Primo Levi’s If This is a Man (German)

-Oubliette- secret dungeon with access only through a trapdoor. (French?)

-Milaya- Darling (Ukrainian.)

-Pal of the Boor- Brother of the Hedge/ Hedgehog (Romany-English)

-Avos- What if (Russian.)

-Lethe- 'oblivion' 'forgetfulness' or 'concealment' one of the five rivers of Hades (Classical Greek)

-Varangian- term given to Vikings by Greeks, Slavs, Arabs and Khazars among others.

-Pietá- refers to paintings or sculptures depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus (Italian)

-Skræling- word used by Norse settlers of Greenland and the Labrador coast for the Inuit natives- survives in Icelandic word 'Skrælingi' meaning 'barbarian.' (Greenlandic Norse.)

-Kavdlunait- word used to refer to foreigners and Europeans in the age of the Norse settlement of Greenland. (Inuit.)

-'Dulce et Decorum est Pro Patria Mori'- phrase included in Horace's Odes, translating to 'It is sweet and fitting to die for the homeland.' (Latin.)

-Subla- 'guy' or 'man,' informal. Outside of traveller community has stronger connotations of 'chav,' 'bogan' etc. (Irish/ Irish Traveller 'Shelta')

-Gowl- slang for 'pussy' Gaelic in origin. Often used in Limerick. (Irish)

-Guerilla- 'Little War', a fighting force acting on it's independent causes. (Spanish)

-Tre(-)- prefix denoting a farm, estate, or perhaps hamlet. (Cornish)

-Mamootie- a kind of South Asian draw-hoe

-Tetragrammaton- the four letters in hebrew used to describe the forbidden name of God- YHWH or JHVH articulated as Yahweh or Jehovah. Learned about this in Jorge Luis Borges' 'Death and the Compass.'

-Gweilo- Cantonese slur for a Westerner. (learnt from The Good Asian- by Pornsak Pichetshote & Alexandre Tefengki)

-Haole- Hawaiian slang for non-native. (learnt from The Good Asian- by Pornsak Pichetshote & Alexandre Tefengki) 

-Carabineros- Carabinier, in its literal form a soldier with a carbine rifle, but in Chile it is the name of the national police force- the Carabineros de Chile. (Learnt from Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Clandestine in Chile) (Spanish)

-Poblaciones- In Chile, slums or shanty towns. Possibly not in use any more. (Learnt from Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Clandestine in Chile) (Spanish)

Sunday, 27 December 2020

Square Eyes: all the films I've watched since December 2020

 


December 2020
-Crazy Rich Asians Dir. John M. Chu (2018)
-Free State of Jones Dir. Gary Ross (2016)
January 2021
-Time of the Gypsies (Original Serbian Dom Za Vešanje) Dir. Emir Kusturica (1988)
-Babyteeth Dir. Shannon Murphy (2019)
-Uncle Frank Dir. Alan Ball ((2020)
-Knives Out Dir. Rian Johnson (2019)
-Catch Me If You Can Dir. Stephen Spielberg (2002)
February 2021 
-Paprika Dir. Satoshi Kon (2006)
-The Peanut Butter Falcon Dir. Tyler Nilson (2019)
-Princess Mononoke Dir. Hayoa Miyazaki (1997) 
-mid90s Dir. Jonah Hill (2018)
March 2021
-Day of the Dead Dir. George A. Romero (1985)
-The Platform (Original Spanish El Hoyo) Dir. Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia (2019)
-Trainspotting Dir. Danny Boyle (1996) (re-watch)
-T2 Trainspotting Dir. Danny Boyle (2017) (re-watch)
-Seaspiracy Dir. Ali Tabrizi (2021)
April 2021
-Come and See (Original Russian Idi I Smotri) Dir. Elem Klimov (1985)
June 2021
-The Martian Dir. Ridley Scott (2015)
-The Father Dir. Florian Zeller (2020) [in cinema]
-Dead Man's Shoes Dir. Shane Meadows (2004)
July 2021
-Minari Dir. Isaac Lee Chung (2020)
-Palm Springs Dir. Max Barbakow (2020)
-Late Night Dir. Nisha Ganatra (2019)
September 2021
-Fantastic Fungi Dir. Louie Schwartzberg (2019)
-Savage Dir. Sam Kelly (2019)
October 2021
-I Care a Lot Dir. J Blakeson (2020)
-Dune Dir. Denis Villeneuve (2021) [in cinema]
November 2021
-Free Guy Dir. Sean Levy (2021)
December 2021
-Ice Age Dir. Chris Wedge (2002) (re-watch)
-Robocop Dir. José Padilha (2014)
April 2022
-The Lighthouse Dir. Robert Eggers (2019)
-Tokyo Godfathers Dir. Satoshi Kon (2003)
-Blade Runner 2049 Dir. Denis Villeneuve (2017) (re-watch)
May 2022
-The Truffle Hunters Dir. Michael Dweck & Gregory Kershaw (2020)
-The VVitch Dir. Robert Eggers (2015)
-1917 Dir. Sam Mendes (2019)
-Old Henry Dir. Potsy Ponciroli (2021)
-The Irishman Dir. Martin Scorsese (2019)
June 2022
-'71 Dir. Yann Demange (2014)
-Cargo Dir. Yolanda Ramke & Ben Howling (2017)
-The House Dir. Emma de Swaef, Marc James Roels, Niki Lindroth von BahrPaloma Baeza (2022)
-The Last Wave Dir. Peter Weir (1977)
-Wildllife Dir. Paul Dano (2018)
July 2022
-Prince of Muck Dir. Cindy Jansen (2021)
-Elysium Dir. Neill Blomkamp (2013) [rewatch]
September 2022
-Everything Everywhere All at Once Dir. Daniels (Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert (2022)
November 2022
-Collateral Dir. Michael Mann (2004)
-Triangle of Sadness Dir. Ruben Östlund (2022)
December 2022
-All Quiet on the Western Front Dir. Edward Berger (2022)
-The Equalizer 2 Dir. Antoine Fuqua (2018)
-The Banshees of Inisherin Dir. Martin McDonagh (2022) [in cinema]

January 2023
-While you Live, Shine Dir. Paul Duane (2018)
-Athena Dir. Romain Gavras (2022)
February 2023
-The Departed Dir. Martin Scorsese (2006)
-Vesper Dir. Kristina Buozyte & Bruno Samper (2022)
March 2023
-The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent Dir. Tom Gormican (2022)
-He Never Died Dir. Jason Krawczyk (2015)
April 2023
-A Quiet Place II Dir. John Krasinski (2020)
-Nobody Dir. Ilya Naishuller
May 2023
-Linoleum Dir. Colin West (2022)
-Stalker Dir. Andrei Tarkovsky (1979)
-Black Crab Dir. Adam Berg (2022)
-Baby Driver Dir. Edgar Wright (2017)
June 2023
-The Deer Hunter Dir. Michael Cimino (1978)
July 2023
-Barbie Dir. Greta Gerwig (2023) [in cinema]
-They Cloned Tyrone Dir. Juel Taylor (2023)
August 2023
-I'm Thinking of Ending Things Dir. Charlie Kaufman (2020)
-My Neighbour Totoro Dir. Hayao Miyaki (1988) [rewatch]
-No Country for Old Men Dir Ethan & Joel Coen (2007) [rewatch]
October 2023
-How to Blow up an Oil Pipeline Dir. Daniel Goldhaber (2022)
-Children of Men Dir. Alfonso Cuarón (2006) [rewatch]
-Hell or High Water Dir. David Mackenzie (2016)
November 2023 
-Belfast Dir. Kenneth Branagh (2021)
December 2023 
-Dawn of the Dead Dir. Zach Snyder (2004) [rewatch]
-Leave the World Behind Dir. Sam Esmail (2023)
-The Killer Dir. David Fincher (2023)
-May December Dir. Todd Haynes (2023)
-Krampus Dir. Michael Dougherty (2015)
-Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Dir. Rian Johnson (2022)
-Saltburn Dir. Emerald Fennell (2023)
January 2024
-Dream Scenario Dir. Kristoffer Borgli (2023)
-Sound of Metal Dir. Darius Marder (2019)
February 2024
-Blade Runner 2049 Dir. Denis Villeneuve (2017) [re-watch]
-The Green Knight Dir. David Lowery (2021)
-Blade Runner 2049 Dir. Denis Villeneuve (2017) [re-watch] (i know...)
-Pom Poko Dir. Isao Takahata (1994) [re-watch]
March 2024
-Dune: Part Two Dir. Denis Villeneuve (2024) [in cinema]
-Green Book Dir. Peter Farrelly (2018)
-Princess Mononoke Dir. Hayoa Miyazaki (1997) [re-watch]
-Marriage Story Dir. Noah Baumbach (2019)
April 2024 
-Fury Dir. David Ayer (2014)
-Memory Dir. Michel Franco (2023)
-Spirited Away Dir. Hayao Miyazaki (2001) [re-watch]
-Tracks Dir. John Curran (2013)
-Dark Waters Dir. Todd Haynes (2019)
-Men Dir. Alex Garland (2022)
-Wicked Little Letters Dir. Thea Sharrock (2023)
May 2024
-Late Night with the Devil Dir. Cameron & Colin Cairnes (2023)
-The Florida Project Dir. Sean Baker (2017)
-The Drop Dir. Michaël R. Roskam (2014)
June 2024
-The Book of Eli Dir. Albert & Allen Hughes (2010)
-The Equalizer Dir. Antoine Fuqua (2014)
-The End We Start From Dir. Mahalia Belo (2023)
-Annihilation Dir. Alex Garland (2018)
July 2024
-Gaia Dir. Jacob Bouwer (2021)
-The Menu Dir. Mark Mylod (2022)
-On the Silver Globe Dir. Andrzej Żuławski (1988)
August 2024
-A History of Violence Dir. David Cronenberg (2005)
-3:10 to Yuma Dir. James Mangold (2007)
-Chef Dir. Jon Favreau (2014)
-Porco Rosso Dir. Hayao Miyazaki (1992)
-Concrete Utopia Dir. Um Tae-Hwa (2023)
-Vivarium Dir. Lorcan Finnegan (2019)
Sept 2024
-Defiance Dir. Edward Zwick (2008)
Oct 2024 
-Civil War Dir. Ale Garland (2024)
-Pig Dir. Michael Sarnoski (2021)
-A Man Called Otto Dir. Marc Forster (2022)
-Dreams Dir. Akira Kurosawa (1990)
-A Field in England Dir. Ben Wheatley (2013)
Nov 2024
-Clean Dir. Paul Solet (2021)
-Twelve Monkeys Dir. Terry Gilliam (1995) [re-watch]
-My Old Ass Dir. Megan Park (2024)
-Fremont Dir. Babak Jalali (2023)
-JoJo Rabbit Dir. Taika Waititi (2019)
-Death at a Funeral Dir. Frank Oz (2007)
Dec 2024
-The Northman Dir. Robert Eggers (2022)
-The Substance Dir. Coralie Fargeat (2024)

Jan 2025
-A Real Pain Dir. Jesse Eisenberg (2025)
-Grand Theft Hamlet Dir. Sam Crane & Pinny Grylls (2024) [in cinema]
-Eastern Promises Dir. David Cronenberg (2007)
-Flow Dir. Gints Zibalodis (2024)
-No Country for Old Men Dir Ethan & Joel Coen (2007) [rewatch]
Feb 2025 
-Hacksaw Ridge Dir. Mel Gibson (2016)
-Godland Dir. Hlynur Pálmason (2022)
-Nomadland Dir. Chloé Zhao (2020)
Mar 2025
-Bone Tomahawk Dir. S Craig Zahler (2015)
-Utama Dir. Alejandro Loayza Grisi (2022)
April 2025
-The Artifice Girl Dir. Franklin Ritch (2022)
-Black Bag Dir. Steven Soderbergh (2025)
-Companiion Dir. Drew Hancock (2025)
-I'm Your Man Dir. Maria Schrader (2021)
May 2025
-Pan's Labyrinth Dir. Guillermo Del Toro (2006) [rewatch]
-The Empty Man Dir. David Prior (2020)
-The Nice Guys Dir. Shane Black (2016)
June 2025 
-Fire Will Come Dir. Oliver Laxe (2019)
-28 Years Later Dir. Danny Boyle (2025) [in cinema]
August 2025
-Us Dir. Jordan Peele (2019)

Sunday, 13 September 2020

Half Cut



If God planted the grass

then the Devil rolled out the lawnmower.





Poems written in a GMB diary while working in grounds maintenance.





Dogging Site.

 
Litter picking Lockleaze sports fields
dog shit
nos cannisters
smashed bud bottles
used johnnies
a dido box- 'upshot'- 'thrusting pleasures'
balloons
Dar finds something- "mind out Tom
it's a dead mouse."
It's a used tampon.
I'm glad it's nothing dead.
Pick up your litter.

Green Moment
There is some beauty in
the sheer straight split
between the clean level cut line
that the mower has eaten and
blasted out
and the rough, thick growth waiting

 
all waiting in jade and emerald and 
dew drop and tree frog
and granny smith and wine bottle
in the early morning sun.

Typical
Daily I am exposed
to ignorant idiocies;
flagrant racism barely dampened
by knowledge of its distaste, 
consant eye-gagging of women,
innocent women, busy women,
human women- object women,
politics shrugged off
yet the left despised
and fascism unquestioned.
knee-jerk justice thirsts,
no tolerance; you can
trace the tail that informed
them- like UV lit rodent piss.
Still, I've got to talk to somebody all day.

 
A Meal
If you cut grass
and leave the bleeding mush
on the lawn
the grass grows thicker,
greener.
Plants are beautiful cannibals.

Gone
Small yellow flowers on stilts
creeping buttercup in the lawn
and poppy flame on the concrete edge
bunches of daisy heads
confident first reddish leaves of maples.
all the dock and nettles that ladybirds will hunt on
all the fronds of yarrow with eggshell flowers
sharp wall rocket and fat milk thistle
"scalp it"
yes boss.





COVID Days 
we're not willing to die for our work
we're just required to turn up for the possibility
we weren't put here to do this shit
you have no more purpose than the birds in the sky
it only ends
when the world ends
whether that is your last blink
or the sun's consuming hunger.
basically:
I'd rather not die from a disease
contracted while half-awake
on a work week I clench my eyes shut for
and wish past.

Dogsbody
The Dogsbody                                      
all grunts and shifts
Jack of all trades, master of none
Jack o' nothin' master a' nothin'
bark palms and blasted cheeks
musty, sun-bleached cap.
Body of dogs.