j.a. savage (Freedom 2022)

j.a. savage

1-23

There's no way you could imagine

There's no way you could see

What you would do when the prison doors flew open

And you were told you were finally free

 

When you walked out into the blinding light 

The time was one twenty-three

The transport you were promised was nowhere in sight

So, you found shade beneath the limbs of a skeleton tree

 

The streets and the town square were empty 

There was no life anywhere to be seen 

On the prison walls someone scrawled 'Satan please tempt me' 

And you thought By God I know what that means ...

 

The evil that you do will find you out they say

If not tomorrow or next year then sooner than someday

of that you should be sure and have no doubt

Best secrets are best kept, don't retrace your steps or explain your whereabouts

 

When the sun disappeared and the night fell 

The chill it quickly set in

The gates and doors locked at the prison 

And you outside crying, begging to be let in

 

The hell of loneliness out there is worse than eternal or original sin

You rattled the gate and wept at your fate and begged again to be let in. 

***

 

A Home Again

You can't get where you want to go

Till you've left where you don't wanna be

I was born a long way from my home 

I couldn’t escape the chains of liberty

I was born in a strange and foreign land, I've had to cross a dozen seas 

finding my way back to the home 

Where I had never ever been

And set about searching for the family I had never seen.

They welcomed me with arms outstretched praised the earth I walked upon 

showered me with love and riches and begged me never to be gone

I had no reason to leave this place still my feet they itched to wander 

there were plenty other families out there to make my own in the next town or beyonder

 

I took care of them and all their needs were met

There was a lump in my throat for the home I left

It was bitter cold and I felt sad for a second

I kept my soiled gloves on, the wind called my name 

and the open road it beckoned

It would be warmer weather where I was going I reckoned

***

 

Hum Drumming

 

In the mighty jungle of watermarked stipulations

through the skinny walls of codes and regulations

they stepped lightly over fire and foreign relations

and dismantled, reassembled and listened in to our conversations

 

Their uniforms were neat and scrubbed and starched

and steam pressed 

they were armed with ideas they’d panel beaten and reprocessed 

watching us closely while we were getting dressed and undressed

And resistance was futile and so was protest

every scream of no was received and recorded as “Oh, Yes"

And hailstorms, burning heat, sleet and snow gave us no rest

 

Who was surprised, who amongst us couldn’t see it coming

Bullets flew, bombs went off and it was pointless running

the courageous fell, the brave and gentle as well and

the spoils went to the cunning 

 

We sang it’s all gone to hell 

there’s no ringing of bells

just the nearby groan of drones humming

 

We clicked Yes to agree to their terms and conditions 

subscribed distracted to the faithless suicide missions

our FAQ’s turned over into secrets and superstitions

And devices overruled and ruled over all our intuitions 

 

Beyond the mists and in the distance 

there are no drummers drumming, 

no joe strummers strumming

we sing it’s all gone to hell 

there’s no ringing of bells

just the nearby ongoing groan 

of drones humming

***

Bio: j.a. savage is a South African writer and poet who has had a long career as a

music publisher. He continues to work in the creative world and lives near

Utrecht in the Netherlands.

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Freedom 2022 :: Setu, August 2022