Monday, December 3, 2012

PINKIE


PINKIE

_____________________ 

Pinkie
Ida Arnold
Rose
Brighton Cock
The Palace of Pleasure

___________________ 

PINKIE


"Hale knew, before he had
been in Brighton three hours,
that they meant to murder him"
—Graham Greene, Brighton Rock
___________________

After I offed Hale —
I had to try to cover up
My involvement with
The murder and all that

I had to silence Rose —
The waitress who was the
Key witness to the thing
Marry or murder her

I was allergic to intimacy —
Even though she was so
Innocent and naïve but
Like I really didn’t care

Hale was a squealer —
And Rose knew too much
So their fates as far as I was
Concerned was the same
_______________

IDA ARNOLD


“I’m not superstitious,”
she said, “but you can’t
get over that. The Board
knows.”— Graham Greene,
Brighton Rock
_________________

The only person who stood —
In my way was Ida Arnold
Fred Hale's companion on his
Fucking last day on earth

Ebullient and full of laughter —
She was a middle-aged dumpy
Dame but she was determined
To fuck me over that’s for sure

Once she found out —
Then she tried to save Rose
From the fuckin fate I had
Planned for the whole gang

I was supposed to be the —
Avenging angel for Battling Kite
My sugar-daddy who got his
Throat slit by the creeps

You know, the motherfuckers —
The Colleoni gang trying to
Horn in on our bookie protection
Racket at the Brighton Tracks
______________

ROSE


“It’s lovely,” Rose said,
“being out here in the
country with you.”
—Graham Greene, Brighton Rock
__________________

Rose was a sucker for the —
Usual Heaven and Hell thing
The same old crummy Catholic
Racket of grace outta the blue

I never did believe in that stuff —
Redemption offered to suckers
But never really taken up cause
It was never there anyway

The same with Ida’s shit —
I didn’t believe superstitious
Shit like ghosts, ouija boards,
Stupid card tables that rapped

Hell for me wasn’t faraway —
Not in some distant realm with
Angels and all that stupid crap
They cram down you in church

Hell was right here —
Right here in the fuckin now
It was all around me just like
It always had been that way

Brighton Rock was bleak —
It didn’t make any difference
Whether you were Catholic
Or some punk gangster like me
______________________

BRIGHTON COCK 


"The huge darkness
pressed a wet mouth
against the panes”
— Graham Greene
Brighton Rock
________________ 

Punks like Pinky Brown
They’re dime a dozen
But they turn me on…
Just ask Graham Greene

Richard Attenborough —
Smirking “Young Scarface”
Typical British teen gangster
Like American film noir punks?

A greasy full moon slides —
Down my bedroom window
Me lying in bed hesitating
Fuckin even getting up today

Is it gonna be —
A black licorice day?
Dark, sticky and seamy?
Like seedy Brighton Rock?

Or a red licorice day —
Bloody and murderous
With punk Pinky Brown
Out to fuckin get me???
______________

THE PALACE OF PLEASURE


“Something trying to get in;
 the pressure of gigantic
wings  against the glass”
— Graham Greene, Brighton Rock
________________

Battling Kite got done in —
His throat slit by the nefarious
Colleoni rival gang of Brighton
At the train station

Battling’s young “kept man” —
Amoral, charmless Pinky Brown
Seethed with resentment after
Losing his Sugar Daddy lover

He hung out by the pier —
The Palace of Pleasure with
Its seedy peepshows and ugly
Little slot machine parlors

The shooting booths—
Pinky was pretty good at quoits
Even though the stall-holder
Hated his fuckin guts

Shelves full of Kewpie dolls —
Chestnut ringlets, blue orbs
For eyes staring down with
Glassy innocence like Virgins

Like a church repository —
Hail Mary in our Hour of Death
Painted cheeks, all it takes is
Six shots for a Big Prize

Pinkie smirked, walked away —
Holding the cheap Kewpie Doll
By the hair, waiting for Hale
To show up for his demise

The stink under the piers —
Dark, poison-bottle green
Mottled with seaweed, salty
Wind smarting his eyes


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