Red lights in the western window
Five hundred feet and counting
The continuous pour
Of 1975 or was it 76
Appearing over the hill top
Like Kilroy
Only still here
The pipes bringith
The pipes taketh away
Gas in exchange for steam
Steam in exchange for power
Power in exchange
For someone else's money
While the left over smoke
In exchange for clean air
Blows up the chimney
Workers voices
Like Bill Baker
(He was our neighbour
In seventy one until he
smoked his last)
Echoed through the pipework
Put together then
Now slowly taken apart
The only noise left
A low hum
Generated
In some other place
Spill it all out
Where is the light to guide these words?
Everything feels gone
Empty again
So spilling it out is impossible?
Yet words still flow through it all
Thoughts still run rampant
Broken pipework spraying all over the place
Rust collecting on the spurting silver
Losing very inch of pride
Unable to control these lines
Pinch it all out
Squeeze it like the last bits of toothpaste in a tube
Roll it up and twist the remains
Pressure is building
Tension is steadily, stiffly waiting
To be released
Let it all go!
There is no point anymore
Stop building on disaster!
Let the words flow
Spill the damn mess out
And don't clean up
Let me pick up the pieces
Hand me the mop
Because when it is finally all out
The emptiness will leave
You'll know exactly what to express
It will all be clear
4-20-13
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