The After Life -03/12/2010

(co-written with Steve Smart)

.

After...

about three hours sleep...

after their microphones were taken off them...

...in front of the crowd

after painting nails for a dollar
vainly attempting to draw attention to their CDs
and books –

...step right up and take a look!

make us an offer...

...we can’t refuse!

after saying
'why didn’t we make T shirts
or stickers

or badges?'

...we DO need stinking badges!

after counting the amount of beret-wearers in the audience...

...and running out of fingers

after making the mistake
of using up the entire bar tab

-before-

going on stage




after the money ran out,



the goodwill abused...

...and the faith shattered

after turning the word ‘fuckhead’



into a verb
an adjective...

...and a life philosophy

after small town disbelief that Cold Chisel wrote poems



after talking philosophy with some very drunk teenagers at the Hungry Jacks drive through in...

...uh, whatever town that was

missing the last ferry
sleeping on the jetty




waiting for the first train
sleeping on the platform

after getting lost on the way back to Lismore





driving the uninsured rental car all night watching that windscreen crack get bigger and bigger

and bigger


after spending all year on and off the road...

..."living off dead air and empty applause"

after having been

.

.

(there)

to see the best

and worst,

performance poets in Australia





after Randall lost the map
after Steve thought he had the map
after Randall apparently last had the map

(...which was before Steve had the map)

after the fact
when no one would believe them...

...even if they were telling the truth,

and after visiting Wagga Wagga...

coming home south screaming bloodless curses

after the spotlight drops...

...walk away long enough to breathe

home air

...into these road worn tyres






and

in the aftermath...

...you realise

how caught up in this...

...you've become

(only being yourself on a stage)

two friends...

...with nothing else to do




but keep writing



waiting for it all to start again...

(and again)

it never ends,














the starting again.





______________________________




Steve Smart and I performed this a duet, the closing poem for Smarty and Randall Are Taking You For A Ride earlier this month.






-Peace







.