A Rhatigan Infestation

Sittin' in de pub
I look above

And haunted by da sites

The enormous white 

Swivel chair in da sky

Bloke sittin' in cabin

Probably havin' a wank

Before he starts work

Over all of us

Controlling a big fat Rhatigan

I leave, but night after night

I am haunted by Rhatigans

Rhatigans - too many in Ireland

Worse dan de vatican

Ole Rhatigan and his clanfolk

Poke us and choke us

Lookin' up to de heavens

I see six or more up der now

Pollutin' da sky

Ready to give some building a wallop

A whallop?

Better to give dem frauds in dat House

In Stráid Kildara some whallops

They could do with a big whallop of a Rhatigan

Fine Gael voters presumably

Love Rhatigans, if they were people

They'd make love to Rhatigans

If Rhatigans were people too

But these cranes just cause me pain

They make me hate this place

Sowin' der poxy seeds

Creatin' spaces...

A hotel, an office block, maybe

While ordinary folks go

Without homes

Liftin' heavy masonry

But not liftin' me

I keep seein' Rhatigans

Maybe we can put down some poison

Gotta get some Rhatigan poison

We got to keep out of this Rhatigan race

This race that eats up space 

Makes us a disgrace

© Iano, 2019

Organic Vibes 29.07.2019

PLAY LIST
THE SKATALITES featuring DOREEN SHAEFFER @ The Button Factory, Dublin 16.07.2019 (Excerpt)
MUNGO'S HI FI & EVA LAZARUS - We Weren't Made For This (Scotch Bonnet, 2019)
MAMMAN SANI - Lamru (Sahel Sounds, 2019)
PAT KELLY - I Am Coming Home (Pama Records, 1969)
XENA & THE THETANS - No Es Tu Causa (Slovenly, 2019)
XENA & THE THETANS - Estupidas Fronteras (Slovenly, 2019)
TELEKRIMEN - Culto A Lo Imbecil (Slovenly, 2019)
TELEKRIMEN - El Ultimo Dia (Slovenly, 2019)
AFRIKAN SCIENCES - Humanistic Center (2019)
THE CHIEFTAINS - The Timpan Reel (1975)
SISTA SARA - African Roots (2019)
BURNING SPEAR - Days Of Slavery (1975)
BURNING SPEAR  - Slavery (Jungle Dub Mix)
LADRONES - No Le Tengo Miedo A Perder (Slovenly, 2019)
THE GOLDEN HORDE - I Never Came Down (1990)

Grovellin' Down Grosvenor Road

Out 'n' about
I sometimes grovel
Not grovellin' really
But on my bike I grovel
Down Grosvenor Road
Grovellin' Down dis place of disgrace
Where you don't see faces
Only cars parked in spaces
On these streets lie houses of riches
But all I can do is grovel along as I sit on my saddle
So I can peddle and paddle my way away
From the clamour of  Grosvenor's grip
Grovellin' down street after street

Templemore comes into sight
Templemore Road - where many garda's may be sighted
When they retire could they come here, I think
To live 'n' die in Templemore?
My heart sinks as I feel like passing out
But I simply continue to pass out 
The parked vehicles on Templemore Road
I just continue to grovel
Grovellin' on my wheels
Avoidin' da deals
Quick on my heels

Soon I travel to Frankfort
Yeah, Frankfort Road
Gotta learn some German
In case I spy a Herman 
Or a Wilkinson or a White
In these sites
No sausages here in Frankfort Road
No, these burghers prefer finer meat
In this part of Dublin a meal is a MEAL
And I'm in no mood to grovel
Grovellin' along the road
On my firm ole wheels
Without a wobble

They're all up 
In Rathmines Upper
Dem upper classes 
Are all up der asses
No one chats or talks up 'ere
No, they're all tucked away 
In their nice mansion houses
Ensconced in their posh pads
All happy escapin' reality
Escapin'...
I just keep on my grovel 
As my bike turns without bovva
I'm now happy 
A happy chappy
Cos my grovel is finished
My grovellin' is over
I'm away from the Grosvenors
And I'm stiff with a boner!

© Iano, 2019

The Stamp of A Tramp

Sometimes I think I'd like to be a tramp

Not having to wash or clean

Or act posh 'n' mean

No bother with schedules

That give others hell

A tramp may stop where he pleases

And grow his hair long

A beard in the front to hide the smile

A long flow down his rear to help hide his stamp

For if I were such a fellow

I'd be far more mellow

I'd develop a wheeze

Give people a tease

By showing my stamp and makin' dem freeze

I could avoid showers

Of people I dislike

Maybe my sexual adventures would be limited

For what lady wants to fuck a tramp with a stamp

If I were a tramp

I'd have to push de envelope 

By showing off my  stamp a bit more

And continue to hope

To keep from de choke

Of a joke from common folks

Who don't like a tramp who carries a stamp

This is a rearguard warnin'

To stay away in de mornin'

Lest ya see dis tramp on full display

You'll want to run, run away

Cos dis tramp's been stamped

And that's all I got to say!

© Iano, 2019

Organic Vibes 16.07.2019

PLAY LIST
AFRICAN HEAD CHARGE - Flim
CALYPSO ROSE - Wah Fu Dance (2015)
PULO NDJ - Bazaka (2019)
ARIWO - Bembe (2019)
LEE 'SCRATCH' PERRY - I Am A Psychiatrist (2004)
GENE AMMONS - Jug Eyes (1970)
CHRIS JAMES - The River (2019)
75 DOLLAR BILL - Beni Said (2016)
AUGUSTUS PABLO - Java (1971)
AUGUSTUS PABLO - Marabi (1974)
ERIK NERVOUS & THE BETA BLOCKERS - Nailed To The Wall (2019)

Preparin' For Da Storm

Intro

Depression is something that can be fatal for many of us, indeed sadly it has been and will continue to be. I am suffering with certain troubles right now, but am mindful that if two or three calamaties struck - serious illness along  with the death of a loved one and perhaps homelessness - at once, then it could precipitate depression (indeed this has happened to many others in the past and will sadly again in the future). So with all of this on my mind, I have decided to take a pro-active stance and take up a range of activities in an effort to help prepare myself for any impending storm. Meditation, physical excercise and learning the ability to be kind to youself and others will be part of this. My poetry is just the start. This piece reflects what I have just discussed above. Sort out your shit before it gets too smelly. Fix the roof when the sun's a shining. Take heart!



Lucky, I
Never had too much shit
To shift, in this world
I have had
And continue to struggle
With little things, little pieces of shit
My big shit will hit later
Lose a child
Lose a mother
Lose a leg
Lose a job
Lose a home
Lose hope
My storm has not erupted yet
I am lucky
My form is good now
My mind is clear now
But for how long will this peace survive?
Now is the time for me
To prepare
To meditate
And to share
So I can face this pain
When it arrives with force
As it will, of course
I now will go
Go to work on my body and mind
So that I can deal
With this storm
When it decides to arrive on my shores
Cos when it brings its pain
I need to be trained
To cope
To cope, we all need hope
So now I go to work
And help myself 
To stay strong
And to learn along
As this voyage continues
This world keeps on turnin' 'n' burnin'

© Iano, 2019

Organic Vibes 13.07.2019

PLAY LIST
DEATH IS NOT THE END - Bristol Pirates (Extract, 2019)
MIKEY DREAD - Kasha Herb Rock (1979)
MARIE CONNIFFE - In My Heart (2016)
AUGUSTUS PABLO - East Of The River Nile (1977)
SCIENTIST - Your Teeth In My Neck (1981)
DEXTER STORY - Desta's Groove (2019)
SAM LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS - It's A Sin To Be Rich, It's A Low-Down Shame To Be Poor
SISTA SARA - Prophesy (2019)

The Parents Trap

I write poetry as a form of personal expression. They come from personal experiences and observing life around me. From time to time I will be posting my work here.

This first one concerns over-caring parents, who fail to allow their offspring to grow and develop. Parents - always believe in your kids. This is autobiographical, but could apply to many people out there who have been failed in this way by their parents.




You didn't make it easy for me
You didn't want me to be myself
You didn't want me with long hair
You didn't want to see my flair
You tried to squeeze out 
My sense of self belief
Cos you never seemed to show
That self belief

Absent from my childhood
Absent from my teens
In my 30's I came to find my voice
As I whispered my name a little
Now I can see the pain you have caused
The suffering that occurred and still continues
The failed childhood
No sex or proper development
All because you refused to believe

Yet I know you didn't cause this purposefully
You failed in this way
But in others you succeeded
My success hasn't occurred
Because it was blocked
Blocked by you
Will it ever happen?
Certainly it will not happen because of you
Maybe despite it

You, who have damaged my self esteem
Damaged my sense of dignity in this world
Your embrace of psychiatric intervention
Is the substitute for your embrace
Of my self worth
You are too ready to believe others, 
People you don't know
Over your own son
That is a mark of disrespect
That you chose to disbelieve
That you chose to bypass my heart
And judge only my mind

Your upbringing must have been part of this
Your blindness to emotion must stem from your own pain
You say I have 'suffered' 
But know not the origins of this 'suffering'
I say you are both the ones who were and are in pain here
You have failed to see the beauty in the hearts of some of your children
You have examined the mantelpiece
But conveniently ignored the fire burning brightly below
Is it too late for you to receive help?
For you to see the harm you have caused

Again I don't blame you
But really who can be responsible for the children's development if not the parents?
So you are the ones who have caused this pain
This pain which I now have to explain
Lack of self belief is a dangerous disease
It is a seed that can grow into a weed
That satisfies a creed
But why was this let happen?

Your blindness to emotion has led me into the arms of the psychiatric profession
Who only know to medicate
So I will dedicate myself to renovating my life
In whatever way I can
To show you how I am
To show you what I can achieve and what you missed
Outside your grip
Away from your gaze
No longer will I tell
No longer will I waste my time
Trying to discuss
Cos this only leads to fuss
No more of that
From now on I will be me!

© Iano, 2019

Organic Vibes 02.07.2019

PLAY LIST
VIVIAN JONES & RUSS DISCIPLE - Fire (2017)
FARAH ELLE - Timezone (Ireland/Libya)
LAHCEN AKIL - Tabadout (North Africa, 2018)
BLICK BASSY - Ngwa (2019)
DUB COLOSSUS - Tainted Dub (Brexitbus Mix) (2019)
K.O.G & THE ZONGO BRIGADE - Sahara (2019)
MANJUL - Afreecan Adventurer (2019)
ROZZMA - Baby (Egypt) (Crammed Discs, 2017)
ACID ARAB - La Hafla (France) (Crammed Discs, 2016)
ZENOBIA - Tawahan (Palestine) (Crammed Discs, 2019)
ZIMININO - When The Buildings Fall (Brasil) (2019)
SISTA SARA - Universal (2019)
YOUTIE & MACCA DREAD - Oriental Skank (France) (2019)
TENESHA THE WORDSMITH - My Pussy (US) (2016)
SHIRLEY BROWN - Woman To Woman (Stax, 1974)