FAITH (1981)
The
Holy Hour
I kneel and
wait in silence
As one by one
the people slip away
Into the night
The quiet and
empty bodies
Kiss the ground
before they pray
Kiss the ground
And slip
away...
I sit and
listen dreamlessly
A promise of
salvation makes me stay
Then look at
your face
And feel my
heart pushed in
As all around
the children play
The games they
tired of yesterday
They play
I stand and hear
my voice
Cry out
A wordless
scream at ancient power
It breaks
against stone
I softly leave
you crying...
I cannot hold
what you devour
The sacrifice
of penance
In the holy
hour
The innocence
of sleeping children
Dressed in
white
And slowly dreaming
Stops all time
I slow my steps
and start to blur
So many years
have filled my heart
I never thought
I'd say those words
The further we
go
And older we
grow
The more we
know
The less we
show
The very first
time I saw your face
I thought of a
song
And quickly
changed the tune
The very first
time I touched your skin
I thought of a
story
And rushed to
reach the end
Too soon
Oh remember
Please
Don't change
And so the fall
came
Thirteen years
A shiny ring
And how I could
forget your name
The air no longer
in my throat
Another perfect
lie is choked
But it always
feels the same
So they close
together
Dressed in red
and yellow
Innocent
forever
Sleeping
children in their blue soft rooms
Still dream...
Whisper your
name in an empty room
You brush past
my skin
As soft as fur
Taking hold
I taste your
scent
Distant noises
Other voices
Pounding in my
broken head
Commit the sin
Commit yourself
And all the
other voices said
Change your
mind
You're always
wrong
Come around at
Christmas
I really have
to see you
Smile at me
slyly
Another festive
compromise
But I live with
desertion
And eight
million people
Distant noises
Other voices
Pulsing in my
swinging arms
Caress the
sound
So many dead
And all the
other voices said
Change your
mind
You're always
wrong
I never thought
that I would find myself
In bed amongst
the stones
The columns are
all men
Begging to
crush me
No shapes sail
on the dark deep lakes
And no flags
wave me home
In the caves
All cats are
grey
In the caves
The textures
coat my skin
In the death
cell
A single note
Rings on and on
and on...
Two pale
figures
Ache in silence
Timeless
In the quiet
ground
Side by side
In age and
sadness
I watched
And acted
wordlessly
As piece by
piece
You performed
your story
Moving through
an unknown past
Dancing at the
funeral party
Memories of
children's' dreams
Lie lifeless
Fading
Lifeless
Hand in hand
with fear and shadows
Crying at the
funeral party
I heard a song
And turned away
As piece by piece
You performed
your story
Noiselessly
across the floor
Dancing at the
funeral party
Stop my flight
to fight
And die
And take a
stand to change my life
So savage with
red desperation
I clench my
hands
You draw your
claws
A hidden rage consumes
my heart
As fuelled by
years of wasted time
I close my eyes
And tense
myself
And screaming
Throw myself in
fury over the edge
And into your
blood
Tear at flesh
And rip at skin
And smash at
doubt
I have to break
you
Fury drives my
vicious blows
I see you fall
but still I strike you
Again and again
Your body falls
The movement is
sharp and clear and pure
And gone
I stop and
kneel beside you
Drained of
everything but pain
Screaming throw
myself in fury
Over the edge
and into your blood
Kiss you once
and see you writhe
Hold you close
and hear you cry
Kiss your eyes
and finish your life
Finish your
life
Again and again
Your body falls
The movement is
sharp and clear and pure
And gone
I stop and
kneel beside you
Knowing I'll
murder you again tonight
She stands
twelve feet above the flood
She stares
Alone
Across the
water
The loneliness
grows and slowly
Fills her
frozen body
Sliding
downwards
One by one her
senses die
The memories
fade
And leave her
eyes
Still seeing worlds
that never were
And one by one
the bright birds leave her...
Starting at the
violent sound
She tries to
turn
But final
Noiseless
Slips and
strikes her soft dark head
The water bows
Receives her
And drowns her
at its ease...
I would have left
the world all bleeding
Could I only
help you love
The fleeting
shapes
So many years
ago
So young and
beautiful and brave
Everything was
true
It couldn't be
a story...
I wish it was
all true
I wish it
couldn't be a story
The words all
left me
Lifeless
Hoping
Breathing like
the drowning man
Oh Fuschia!
You leave me
Breathing like
the drowning man
Breathing like
the drowning man
Catch me if I
fall
I'm losing hold
I can't just
carry on this way
And every time
I turn away
Lose another
blind game
The idea of
perfection holds me...
Suddenly I see
you change
Everything at
once
The same
But the
mountain never moves...
Rape me like a
child
Christened in
blood
Painted like an
unknown saint
There's nothing
left but hope...
Your voice is
dead
And old
And always
empty
Trust in me
through closing years
Perfect moments
wait...
If only we
could stay
Please
Say the right
words
Or cry like the
stone white clown
And stand
Lost forever in
a happy crowd...
No-one lifts
their hands
No-one lifts
their eyes
Justified with
empty words
The party just
gets better and better...
I went away alone
With nothing left
But faith