The Adventurer 

No, I tell you, Elon Musk, I will not
Go to Mars, it is dry, and has pink nights
and wind-blown days

Settlers will live in caves without 
dogs and cats to make life on Mars
livable without caresses

No, Musk, I refuse to go unless your
assurances the cave living will be
temporary and live will last forever

I have found a planet that is lefty
Where right is left and left is right
with a teddy bear for every child

The consolation 

It is fascinating to think
one day we will be dead
not know we ever lived
Years will pass in wars
and struggles for peace
meaningless contracts
signed by the powerful
We'll not know of spring
flowers and romance
But the consolation is
We shall not know that  
We ever lived

1974 and the Guardian newspaper


On a ship, where I was employed, docked
In Lisbon, a few days after the Carnation Revolution
The air was full of anticipation
I took a double-decker bus to the town center
A throng of cheerful people filled the narrow streets
At a paper stall, pornographic mags had moved in
getting the most out of newfound freedom
I ate Fesjoada tras montania (bean stew), drank
a bottle of Sagres beer, and later walked around
streets, but with so much noise, I bought
The Guardian newspaper, which I thought was
a harbinger of the truth
Back then, The Guardian was a fresh, brave paper,
These days, it is rather staid in the political line
pro-American, but it is still a better paper
than the Ghastly "Sun" and the Sunday papers
I still read that paper online, which has good art pages
But politically, we parted ways a long time ago

They came saw and conquered
and plundered other nations heritage as trophies
voices of dissent drowned.
The elite saw themselves as the educated elite
wrote learned books about statues they had purloined
also told of what significance it had.
For the people robbed of their symbols.
The pilferers became ennobled.
Sometimes theft pays.
Most of the stolen culture ended up
in a museum, so the people could wonder
and be proud, although some had an afterthought.
Now that we live an enlightened time
the British Museum is no longer proud of their
possessions keep sending some cultural icons back
to the countries, they were taken from.

The Icon

A famous actor is dead, we viewers 
saw him decorously dead in a bed
I have seen this actor in movies playing
handsome cowboy, nothing rugged
no jaw clenched or hateful snarling 
White smile when on horseback 
The sainted Guardian interviews others
stars, who loved him
An actress, who, during filming, saw him
Every day, yes, he was the greatest
wondered why she didn't fall in love
One worships an Icon

The man who fell to earth

He embraced the conservative dogma, but he was also
like Tucker Carlson, a committed Christian, believing in 
The gospel and God's son, Jesus.
He embraced the duality of Judaism and Christianity
Israel had given him money for his views and loved
by the likes of Netanyahu, and Trump was his friend
Then it went wrong, the suffering of Palestine bothered
His Christian soul that protested
He moved away from his certainties and spoke of his dread
All hell broke out, and it was pointed out to him that taking 
The shilling had to follow a path they had pointed out for
him, he baulked at this and became more convinced
They were wrong
For his unwavering faith, he was shot dead, a martyr who
stood his ground, when he, like many others, did, could
have looked away.
Charlie Kirk was a hero who will be remembered for
a long time to come

When Alfred left me

It was not my fault, I had no shoes, and the police stopped
asking why  I had no shoes
since it was none of their business
I naturally told them to *******.
I was handcuffed and put in a police car,
which was more cooling than the asphalt
It was October in Albufeira, which can be warm
I thought this was a perfect movement, a father defends his son
But Alfred, who refuses to be my father, had gone home
I was left to explain this ridiculous case,
luckily the Portuguese
The police force felt sorry for me and let me go.
The next day, I bought a pair of sneakers in a Chinese shop
Alfred was wearing my costly  upper leather