The Way Things Are

No, old people do not walk slowly
because they have plenty of time.
Gardening books when buried will not flower.
Though lightly worn, a crown may leave a scar,
I am your father and this is the way things are.' 

The Way Things Are is a book of many voices, of quick boys and sharp gals. Verse that will have you feeling your own collar. A sharp intake at neighbourhood machinations and political correctitude. A gasp of guilt at a ransacked affair. Dissension in the ranks. Childhood Horrors. It isn't funny, so why are we laughing? Because we are in safe hands. The poet is a trickster we can trust. 

'For centuries the bullet remained quietly confident
that the gun would be invented.
A drowning surrealist will not appreciate
the concrete lifebelt
No guarantee my last goodbye is au revoir,
I am your father and this is the way things are.