monster assortment

i) monsters

ii) the coke rat

iii) the hep cat

iv) the moon sea king mole

v) the landed eel

vi) pigmy elephant

& mammoth mouse

vii) the elf of Delf

viii) the duke horse merchant

ix) the cagey bee

x) sharkeater

xi) deepfrog

xii) electric bats in Hoylake

& West Kirby

monster assortment

i

there are creatures

caught in the net

you glimpse their faces

shadows flickering

like trompe d'oeil

working scheming & set

against our life style

monsters surround us

ii

the coke rat

being marsupial

as soon as it's born

crawls up a fella's nose

safely inside

stays 5-10 years

collecting 60s porn

& celebrity panty-hose

iii

the hep cat

walks upright

wears Wellingtons

made of Indian rubber

moonlights in

fish restaurants

sans Michelin stars

dines on cordon blubber

iv

the moon seek king mole

puts shades on at night

takes pictures of holes

kinda looks outta sight

who knows where he goes

nosing high talking low

does he soak in the flow

or blow dry with the fly

v

the landed eel

or windsurf snake

with its Timex Oyster

is a nose-balancing fake

but don't ask for the time

as it winds up yr drive

just behave & smile

for Madam's sake

vi

the pigmy elephant dive

bombs airfields drives

daft tanks & murders

the beats of beasts

but the mammoth mouse

overturns its worst

shedding catloads

of worser verse

vii

the elf

of Delf

has got

himself

so starry

blathered

he's tar &

feathered

viii

the duke horse merchant is

as always on the loose

& trailing screws

accrued fantasy blows

he from his bellows

hoof art's genius

ix

the cagey bee lands

on a prickled lobe

of its cackled ass

& oh how ridiculous

his galosh knee cough

spews honey & lemon

while a gypsy mouth

licks it off in heaven

x

a predator's predator

swept through rivers

scooping up fresh water

sharks with its jaw-jaws

bring back the spindoctorsaurus

& her deep sea cousin who

so far has eluded all our

attempts at their reincarnation

xi

in the words of deepfrog

frack in hell mate

you playing at Bogart again

few are might ah suggest

reeling in the years a bit

on account of yr elf

an cut in dan on a fags

xii

electric bats in Hoylake & West Kirkby

first period PE followed by geography

then French & the long queue for lunch

for do

unto others as you would have them do unto you

regard this empty box its purpose unclear

though oddly shaped for what it contains

there is no question certain types of bat don't

spend their days hanging upside down in caves