Martin Appleby

Why Would You Like to Work For Our Company?

Well,
It is all down to the fact that I have
a constant, pressing need
to pay my rent and bills
and to eat a decent meal every night
and ideally have enough spare cash
to buy the odd book
or go to a gig
or even take the occasional holiday
and once in a while
(All too often if I am being honest)
get absolutely shit faced
and maybe even
buy some recreational drugs
(which, as I am sure you’re aware, are not cheap)

You see
I have no real desire
to work for your company in particular

but the capitalist society that we live in
dictates that I give away
a certain amount of my time
in exchange for monetary remuneration
and your company
seems as good as any other
But that probably wasn’t
the answer you were looking for was it?

Gary Huggins

Poets

poets like to smoke dope
poets like to drink red wine and eat good cheese
as long as someone else pays the check
poets like to piss in lesser poets’ letter boxes
poets like to pretend they want to fuck each other
and then not fuck each other
poets like to fall in love with other poets
although almost always this is unrequited
poets like to pose suicidal
and then preach joie de vivre whilst
in the queue to receive benefits checks
or buying mints to cover the stench of coffee and cigarettes

poets like to impress other poets
poets love themselves
poets hate themselves
poets like to circle jerk
poets like to take large doses of hallucinogens
and trip the f out man
poets are poets because they have nothing better to do
poets are poets because they have too much to do
poets are poets because if you’re going to pick one dead
art it might as well be an easy one
poets are poets because their prose isn’t good enough
poets are poets because poetry helps cure chronic masturbation

poets are poets because they want to fuck and be fucked
but are never the former and always the later
in another less satisfying context
poets are stealing your jobs
poets are making moves on your sons and daughters
poets are giving back alley abortions
poets are stealing pills from your dying mother’s medical cabinet

poets stole your cat
poets broke into your house and ate your children’s breakfast cereal

poets slaughtered your chickens and stole their eggs
poets are compulsive liars
a poet is standing in your kitchen
pouring your falafel mix all over your new lino flooring