one for the road
Reclaim the Streets, M41, Shepherd's Bush, Saturday July 13th 1996 (for Paul)
oh
there were cracks as wide as our smiles
cracks big enough to swallow cars whole
she moved so gracefully
along that liberated mile
her dress pink and proud and billowing
sailing down the motorway
bestowing confetti blessings
upon us revellers and levellers
us ravers and rovers and raucous ranters
as we danced in the wide wake
of her carnival joy
this motorway
shatters beneath our feet
its linear and harsh intent
scattering into a million brilliant shards
the music kicks off
and the rhythm kicks in
overdressed for the occasion
the cops bow out
this motorway
buckles melts dissolves
beneath the warmth of the sun and
the fierce heat of our merrily dancing soles
seven thousand pairs of daring summer feet
cut loose foot loose
fancies unfurled and free
engines of desire
and purpose and pleasure
externally combusting
along the brimming beaming marvel
of this motorway turned upside down and inside out
floats the manwoman of our dreams
twenty foot high
as proud and graceful as the summer sky
her dress pink and billowed and promising
the sun watches over us
ensures no harm
the rhythm keeps its promises
the police keep their distances
paint and poetry and song show their true colours
sand and sweat and smiles merge and mingle and shine
bodies cavort collude collide
within this sweetest of human traffic jams
and
as the sun begins to set on our banners of outlaw victory
and the lingering warmth of the day enters
the welcoming cool of the night
from under the folds of her dress so pink and so proud
can be heard the repetitive beat and hum
of a mischievous pneumatic pleasure
accounting for the depth of her smile
the grace of her poise
the madness of our dancing
and the grinning of our eyes
this motorway
yields
is drilled, rattled, levered, shattered, prised
and planted
trees blossomed where she once stood
Reclaim the Streets, M41, Shepherd's Bush, Saturday July 13th 1996 (for Paul)
oh
there were cracks as wide as our smiles
cracks big enough to swallow cars whole
she moved so gracefully
along that liberated mile
her dress pink and proud and billowing
sailing down the motorway
bestowing confetti blessings
upon us revellers and levellers
us ravers and rovers and raucous ranters
as we danced in the wide wake
of her carnival joy
this motorway
shatters beneath our feet
its linear and harsh intent
scattering into a million brilliant shards
the music kicks off
and the rhythm kicks in
overdressed for the occasion
the cops bow out
this motorway
buckles melts dissolves
beneath the warmth of the sun and
the fierce heat of our merrily dancing soles
seven thousand pairs of daring summer feet
cut loose foot loose
fancies unfurled and free
engines of desire
and purpose and pleasure
externally combusting
along the brimming beaming marvel
of this motorway turned upside down and inside out
floats the manwoman of our dreams
twenty foot high
as proud and graceful as the summer sky
her dress pink and billowed and promising
the sun watches over us
ensures no harm
the rhythm keeps its promises
the police keep their distances
paint and poetry and song show their true colours
sand and sweat and smiles merge and mingle and shine
bodies cavort collude collide
within this sweetest of human traffic jams
and
as the sun begins to set on our banners of outlaw victory
and the lingering warmth of the day enters
the welcoming cool of the night
from under the folds of her dress so pink and so proud
can be heard the repetitive beat and hum
of a mischievous pneumatic pleasure
accounting for the depth of her smile
the grace of her poise
the madness of our dancing
and the grinning of our eyes
this motorway
yields
is drilled, rattled, levered, shattered, prised
and planted
trees blossomed where she once stood
