LIKE THE BIRDS ON THE WIRES As I walked I would occasionally Look up, up at the sky, up where The birds ruled, home there to the Lucky, those who can move in the Blink of one eye. This time though the view was kind Of different; the birds had all Congregated, like musical notes on A line, along the telephone wire that Keeps us in touch with the outside world. It was then I thought is that how Leonard Cohen came up with the Wonderful lyrics to 'Bird on a Wire' By looking up, up at the sky, drawing Inspiration from a natural phenomenon. FALLING DOWN THE STAIRS There were times when I would live A life, a wild time, and would often Find myself falling down those stairs At the last resort out of my mind, Always always out of my mind and Late at night as that was when this Beautiful gift always got me best And sometimes it would be 3-15 In the morning and I’d be falling Down those damn stairs out of My damn mind feeling like a cat At the end of his ninth life. LIKE THOSE OLD DAYS (with my radio on) I sit here tonight and it Almost feels like the old-times as My radio builds up to one of the games of the year As old footballers talk of teenagers Turning up to training in brand new Shiny Mercedes-Benz as I sit here Writing a life so far removed from Their gilded existence it just goes to Show you how capitalism has gone so Terribly wrong…
BIOGRAPHY
Bradford Middleton was born in south-east London during the summer of 1971 and won his first poetry prize at the age of nine. He then gave up writing poems for nearly twenty-five years and it wasn’t until he landed in Brighton, knowing no one and having no money, that he began again. Ten years later and he’s been lucky enough to have had a few chapbooks published including a new one from Analog Submission Press entitled ‘Flying through this Life like a Bottle Battling Gravity’, his debut from Crisis Chronicles Press (Ohio, USA) and his second effort for Holy & Intoxicated Press (Hastings, UK). He has read around the UK at various bars, venues and festivals and is always keen to get out and read to new crowds. His poetry has also been or will be published shortly in the Chiron Review, Zygote in my Coffee, Section 8, Razur Cuts, Paper & Ink, Grandma Moses ‘Poet to Notice’, Empty Mirror, Midnight Lane Gallery, Bareback Lit and is a Contributing Poet over at the wonderful Mad Swirl. If you like what you’ve read go send a friend request on facebook to bradfordmiddleton1.
Robin Ouzman Hislop is Editor of Poetry Life and Times at Artvilla.com ; You may visit Aquillrelle.com/Author Robin Ouzman Hislop about author & https://poetrylifeandtimes.com See Robin performing his work Performance (University of Leeds)