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.

3 comments :

  1. Jay , you are such a masterful word-stringer. This was such a powerful read!! You are a rare talent.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow such profound words from an even more profound man that I am proud to know .

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jay you are special light in this murky smudge we call society .........also I thought of the perfect band name for our future band .......Jimmy saville was not innocent!!!! A take on sid vicious was innocent by the exploited .

    What do you think ? (I mean we have to add the "not"unfortunately)

    ReplyDelete

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