The Misunderstood Monster

'I hate being a monster mum'
The little monster said
'I’m scared of other monsters
And I hate it under beds

It hurts when children run away
I jump when people scream
I don’t suit a monster diet
Just give me chips and ice cream

I’m allergic to dust and spiders
I need to hold hands in the dark
I don’t want to make noises in cupboards
I’d rather go play in the park?

I guess what I’m trying to say mum
Is I’m different to you and dad
Do you think you could love me as I am?
Cause I’m no good at being bad'

Snake Skin Shoes

Dat snake he someting else-yu kno
A real smooth operator
An him sneakin ‘n’ slopin al round dat tree
In he al too shiny new suit ‘n’ plus four
In love wid himsel -dat for sure
You know him alright
Dat kid at school
Dat one everyone scaret of
James Dean-puffing on a cigarette
Elvis too-if both dem serial killer

‘Well yu jus taste de apple’ he say
‘Jus a bit-what harm it do girl?
Him upstairs-why yu tink he tell yu not ta touch?’
Him done wan you to know too much
Dat why-not cos it do yu hurt girl’
An there he is jus talkin awa
Smooth as butter milk
Wid him eye dat you drown in
Till I jus melt-I ask yu-is dat a crime?
Well is it? Dat snake he someting else-dat al

Adam? Well dat man sho did sulk
Blame me? Sho-yu bet him did
But now him laugh alri
Rite down from him belly to him toe
No-don spose him ever forgit
Yu kno him
Him not de forgivin kin
But sho did laugh alri-dat day
What day-I hear yu say?
Why de day dat I giv him dem snake skin shoes

Idea Seeds

I planted an idea seed
Somewhere inside of me
Watered it and tended it
To see what it would be

Carefully I added words
And pruned its punctuation
Hacked at all the boring bits
Removing excess information

I patted it and shaped it
And watched it slowly form
Fed it on inspiration
And kept it nice and warm

And from a small idea
That no one else could see
With just a little love and care
I grew a poe-tree