
Image by Martin Gollan
By Uzmah Ali
After Manic Street Preachers S.Y.M.M. and Revol
Run a finger along smooth sheets
Cup on bedside table
Splay into a starfish
Stare at the ceiling
Chief of Staff shifted the crisis meeting with the Qataris
Noted. A great diary manager.
Deflecting action. A press conference,
No asked questions. Satisfaction.
A thought
But what is corruption really?
What is a trial really?
The son is getting married
What to do about the reception.
Doom scroll. Doom scroll. Doom scroll.
Chuckle weakly. Calls for assassination.
Another thought.
What is corruption really?
What is a trial really?
What is an arrest warrant really?
More important than a coalition?
Another doom scroll.
War hero. Criticism. Satisfaction.
A cup of hot milk with Irish tipple
We all need a little something to drift off sometimes
Cup on belly in checked pyjamas.
Typical. The Irish are not aligned.
But what can anyone do really?
Contented.
Absent.
A smile.
Amused.
Thought / joke:
Does Sisi have a special bedsheet factory for Heads of State?
Audible chuckle.
A kingsize bed with Egyptian cotton.
Slow intake of breath. Gentle laugh. Belly wobble.
Another thought
Shame I can’t share the joke with the missus,
Who’s staying with family,
So I’m going to leave the bathroom door open
Whilst pissing and shitting concurrently
A technique perfected over time
There’s nothing quite like
Bringing fresh steaming shit
Into the world. Efficiently.
Life is best lived with small pleasures and satisfaction
Anti-aging face serum. Flicked switch. Pitch black.
Wake up in warm blankets
Three minutes before the alarm.
Satisfied.
