A series of poems from my recent trip to Asia....

BAHN MI BAN

On a self imposed banh mi ban 
but you cannot 
banh mi, man 
for i am a banh mi man
a self confessed
banh mi fan 
if you said 
i bahn mi can’t
i’d say, well
i bloody banh well can 
cos all these banh mi’s bang 
So fuck you...

And the the Bahn mi ban.

HONG KONG HARBOUR

Like clockwork the cars roll by 
and the trains
they arrive on time 
the sun goes down on Hong Kong harbour 
i gaze into the haze above the water 
and put it down 
as another thing you’ll never see

The bay turned muddy black 
as the entire world lit around it 
still the old steamers chugged on
undeterred by the night 

In the darkness they’ll sail 
to the next island 
back round
it’s ‘dim sum for breakfast’
four words you’ll never say 

WONTON, NEIL?

For a man somewhat tall 
i’m a sucker and a fool 
for slurping up noodles 
on stalls
that ain’t half small 

i’ll sacrifice my knees 
cos these wontons 
are the bees 
crouching is a breeze 
and it makes me feel cool 

You high chair snobs 
up there in the gods 
may look down 
on the likes of me
but the thing with you lot 
is the one thing you ain’t got 
is these noodles 
so 
LET.
ME.
BE.

THE CITY OF LANTERNS

A cockerel’s wail
to announce the day  
a half-dead man 
awakes from the grave 
and all i want 
is to forever stay
somewhere
anywhere
In the city of lanterns 

Water from the holy well 
casts a niche magic spell  
a truth that’s hard to dispel 
these are religious noodles 

I remember now
how the sun falls so soon 
and on the 14th day
of the lunar moon 
the surface of the Thu Bon River 
melts and mirrors 
mirrors and shimmers 

A tailor made moon parade 
A must-do on your getaway 
But that’s just another day 
Here, in the city of lanterns 

SUKUMSHIT

Something’s off 
in the soi’s
the slums 
yet it’s fun 
for some 
and the boys 
don’t run 
when the girls 
look glum
in the land of smiles 

Elderly dick
circles Sukhumvit
searching for something 
that’ll keep them alive
short time / long time 
‘i’ll make you my wife’ 
it’s boom boom
then bedtime 
a death for a life 

it’s not love you long time 
for these old fucks 
it will sucky suck 
when the heart packs up 
no more nooky nooky
in the tuk tuk club 
but still 
the girls won’t be smiling 
in the land of smiles