SHE PARTY

She party like a hairy beast
with black hair she flick back again and again
large hands in front of her face

I like this bar
she says through the bottom of her cocktail glass
its dark
and they can’t see the lines on your face

She party like you can’t sit around reading books all day
She party like she’s about to move to goddam Canberra and draw up defence department contracts
She party like her biological clock is ticking

You’ve got to meet people
I went out with this guy
He was older
when I told him where I stood
he got narky

I met him at one of those suburban singles nights
I upset them
I blurted every thing out onto their carpet
They said why are you doing a dumb job like that

I put them straight
I‘ve been a landscape gardener
I‘ve been a lawyer and a chef
Why don’t people want to talk about plays and art exhibitions and politics?
There’s a silence
The suburbs are struck dumb
 
I’m 38 years old but I own my own house
having no children you accumulate material goods but so what
 
I worked at a big firm and played the part,
but they never made me the offer
I got pissed off with their prestige
So now I’m going to draw up contracts for the army in Canberra
But I’ll do some locum work at a community legal centre

You can’t sit around reading books all day

I found a budgie today
with a broken wing
out the front of my house
I had my tracksuit on, you know, hanging about the kitchen, when I heard it crying
Its was so heartfelt, I had to go out and pick it up and bring it inside
The only thing is - I’ve got a cat, Oscar
I hope they get on. They’ll have to
I told Oscar, "No funny business mister"
That bird was so sad.

I‘ve been looking after it but I don’t have much room
Someone needs to take an interest in its welfare
Lots of people have got lots of room but they just don’t care
who left it there? who abandoned it?
We’ll tough it up, get it’s strength back and send it back out in the world
Where?
Maybe it could stay here, with Oscar and me,
for a while
I kinda like its cry
 
 
 
 
 
Malcolm Hill 2002