The words come up
and hit me in the face

a man with a bottle between the legs
shooting from the lips

the skin is cracked and blotted
danish blue

the floating eyes spit like frying eggs
shooting from the lips

belching like a bloated toad...

One man's masticated bones are another man's
steak and kidney

one man's pair of spectacles are another man's
point of view

one man's bottle of vodka is another man's
glass of tonic

one man's head in a plate is another man's
thing to do...

If you cannot love her
try to leave her

if you cannot leave her
try to forgive her

one man's heart is another man's liver...

______

The words come up from the gut
rising to the lips

sneaking up the hour glass body
sliding up the long thin neck

to the bottle top

he stubs his toes against his teeth
he breaks wind with his lungs
he puts his hand behind his head

his head falls off his hand
his chin bumps off the chair
and slides along the floor

he talks in other people's tongues...

One man's ezra pound is another man's
two and six

one man's hue and sick is another man's
fish and chips

one man's love it to death is another man's
take it or leave it

one man's raving genius is another man's
would you believe it...

You can listen but you cannot hear
you can look but you cannot see

one man's you is another man's me...

______

Vodka fills the loving cup
abracadabra to the brim

a genie in the bottle
is running around the rim

what's the matter with you
can't you talk

he sucks in his breath and inflates
the words fly up in his face
coagulate

stuff his mouth
froth up his lips

don't prick the prick
he'll burst

put a cork in it...

One man's pissed is another man's
into the mystic

one man's la-di-da is another man's
doggerel

one man's almost there is another man's
missed it

one man's vodka bottle is another man's
suckling tit...

You can shout but you cannot doubt
you can cry but you cannot weep

one man's you is another man's sleep...

______

Hiccup fuck up
keep your big mouth shut
your tongue is hanging loose...

one man knows the words
another man knows their use...

I will leave here walking with my charity
in my hand

I will leave here walking with my charity
in my hand

it's not you
it's your pain I cannot stand

Richard Hillesley

This ditty was intended for live performance, and can be found on the record Mouth Pieces by Mixed Economy with Sax and Double Bass accompaniment