February 20, 2026Missive

For a long time

timeidentity

For a long time

You know nothing

Maybe you think

You do

But you don’t.

Self deceit

Is a parody

Practised by parrots.

When you do

Know something,

If you ever do,

The flesh has developed

Liver spots.

It becomes stretched

Too tight across the cheeks

Too loose around the arse

Trousers hang too low

Are pulled too high

The beam, too broad

Not broad enough

Waists are less hip

Than dirty dancing

With a jelly belly

Nothing explains the decline

Other than the perfidy

Of time

Consuming

Rumours of

Self importance

When the truth is

Nothing grows

On its own

Other than vegetation

Couches are full

Of potatoes

Marinating in goose fat

Nothing is free

Of consequence

When the penny drops

The lights go out

The fire dies

And on days like these

Nobody carries

The cash

To feed the meter.