Michael Batchelor's Blog, page 27

Civility

I was working the cigarette counter one day
And some guy comes up and asks for
A packet of Winnie blues
So I bend down
Grab the packet
Hand it to him
And say:
‘There ya go, mate.’
And he responds with:
‘I’m not your mate.’
Then he slams down a twenty
And walks away
And I’m left there
Open-mouthed
Glad the cancer sticks
Will kill him

Wealthy Man

Wealthy man
Going on a shopping spree
A consumerist adventure
For eternity

Swiping his card
To satisfy an itch
The incurable sickness
Of the rich

He empties the store
And fills his home
To forget the fact
His life’s on loan

But when he looks inside
And sees himself
He’s shocked to find
His soul on a shelf

The Slot Machine

Girl playing golf
Swipe
Man getting pranked
Swipe
Game advertisement
Swipe
Rating people from 1-10
Swipe
Guy lifting weights
Swipe
Motivational speech
Swipe
Game advertisement
Swipe
Pretty girl dancing
Ding
Ding
Ding
Jackpot

That Day

I first became an adult
At 27
When a dog I knew died
And everyone around me lost their jobs
And I started panicking about death

That’s when the veil was snatched away
And I really started to think
And thinking led to sadness
And eating
And pouring poison on my brain
With my phone

So one day
Fed up with it all
I woke up early
Got in my car
And drove to the sea

I parked my car
Walked along the pier
To the edge of Australia
And there stood a lighthouse

Blinding white under the sun
I took out my phone
My previous poison
And took a photo

And I felt good
Really good
Because on that day
That precious, pure day
I’d conquered sadness
If only for a day

Relax, It’s Temporary

Lay in a meadow
On a beach
A park bench
Or a couch

Wherever it’s nice

Then close your eyes
And breathe
In and out
In and out

Do nothing
And listen
To the world’s sweet
Lullaby

Isn’t it grand?

The Rut

There’s an illness I have
It’s called fear
It stops me from looking for a new job
Jumping out of a plane
Swimming with sharks
Taking off my shirt
Making new friends

Hopefully one day
I’ll climb out of the rut
Dust myself off
And eat life to the bone

But for now
I’ll sit in the corner
And cower
While fear stands over me
With a club in its hands

Black Hole

Black hole
Watching from far away
Ready to take me
Any given day

I turn away
Run to the past
But it’s a silly fantasy
That won’t last

So I march forward
Until it is done
And hope that beyond the blackness
Is a bright sun

Plagiarise This!

AI can ‘write’ an essay
Answer a call
Recognise a face
Even kick a ball

But it can’t feel the wind
Or, for that matter, feel at all
Because for that you need
The almighty soul

God

God
Where are you?
I prayed to you
When I was younger
But you never answered
I went to church
But you never appeared
I looked for a sign
But one never came

Maybe one day
You’ll appear
But for now
I’m just a child
Walking alone
In a parentless universe

Do Nothing

Lay in a meadow
Listen to the wind
Feel the sun
Look up at the sky
And let the universe smile upon you

Do nothing
Be nothing
Want nothing
It’s the most productive thing
You can do