by Anton Martin Smith antonmartinsmith@gmail.com Martin Anton Smith martinantonsmith@gmail.com
It’s been a hard week. I am very tired.
But then again, compared to London slum -era workers circa 1875 – I’ve had it bloody easy.
To the accusation “We have become too soft” – I think it’s at the least partly true.
(But it’s now Sunday and in either case, I am either well rested or have stolen undue rest.)
This feeling I have is a ‘good tired’ though – because I achieved something real.
(I like to sound positive these days – I am older, wiser & realise ‘abject pessimism’ sabotages a life).
Yes I was disciplined throughout the week – the secret is to have a system and stick to it.
(But I still slept in like a ‘fat capitalist’ – but my system can handle sleeping in).
What did I do? I worked on carpentry, garden landscaping and writing & of it was ‘mine’.
(I’m a hybrid you see, am I a self employed working class pseudo genius? Yes I am).
May I be so bold to call Carpentry, Gardening & Writing the “grand trifecta”?
(And I did like to have a flutter in my youth – mainly horse racing until I realized it a swindlers vs losers game)
And now after all my great physical work, I am weary.
(This is true – excuse me while I yawn – of life?).
Or as The great Kiwi Cricketer Sir Richard Hadlee said in his autobiography “The Double”.
(I shouldn’t talk of Sports – but ol’ Paddles was a more of a phenomenon. For him I’ll make an exception)-
His mantra: “No I am not tired – I am just ‘pleasantly weary’ “
(That’s called using a ‘Jedi Mind Trick’ on yourself).
Yep so back to physical work – on the Carpentry side – the Gib flew up to the ceiling.
(Because I am strong as an Ox maaaaate – sorry for that, I am one quarter Australian),
And then (just like men do in society these days) it all got ‘heavily screwed’ .
(Just look down at any gutter and ask a bloke that now lives there – he will agree via his tears and screams).
back to the physical – On the garden side – I got a spade and dug some weeds away and replaced it with gravel.
(Now you’re getting excited aren’t you..you you creep…you…garden-o-phile you!).
To circle back – the weeds that were thrown away are analogous to what 3rd Wave Feminism has done to men.
(We will be spread on their toast soon – mark my words – ManJamTM?).
Then I did some writing – I worked on poems, & on editing one of my Novellas.
(It’s easier than you think – you just start writing once every couple of days & ‘hey presto’ it emerges).
Who knows one day something may come of all this sillyness.
(But I need to network more *sigh* – do I need a girlboss PR manager?).
I’m crossing my fingers that this is not all a collosal waste of my life’s time .
(Like working in an chicken-coop-office your whole life in Melbourne New York or Paris).
You never know, I could end up ‘making it at fifty’ like the great Buk.
(I’m talkin’ about Bukowski the – famous San Pedro ‘poet of the gutters’).
But I wonder who my ‘John Martin’ will be?
(John Martin – The owner of Black Sparrow Press who discovered Buk @ paid him $100 a month in 1970)
Stranger things can happen in life to people who show grit and have a system and stick to it,
(But not as strange as an ex forgiving you AND being female)
And rareness (a version of strengness) can sometimes not just come in the form of hens teeth
(I don’t have any yet – luck that is, yet ‘hens teeth’ I have plenty of, but don’t ask me why.) –
But (in life) sometimes it can be the ‘Black Swan’ (or Black Swan event) that speaks fluent cockney ‘rhyming slang’ to you
(ok here it comes – a tribute to my forgotten but in-my-DNA English heritage):
Chin up son, (Self explanitory)
’bout time we went down to the ‘battle cruiser’, (go the the pub – the ‘boozer’)
Down a Pig’s Ear, (Have a Beer)
Forget about the ol’ pain & strife, (Your wife or missus at home)
Forget our worries about the lorries, (That’s not Rhyming Slang I just added it for fun)
Chat up the a few Twist and Twirls, (Chat up the ‘girls at the pub’)
& the next day just take a Sherbet ‘ome (Sherbet is a Taxi).
AND NOW ITS TIME TO QUIT WHILE BEHIND.
THIS IS AFTER ALL SHAMELESS FILLER (well It was before I edited it)
YOU SHOULD HAVE NEVER READ IT (But now I’ve edited it you should).
IT WAS A TURD THAT I BARELY POLISHED (Well now it’s a half-polished turd at least)
Sorry to shout – now you good folk have a good day (after all, I have to bale before ‘mediocre’ turns to ‘unreadable’)
Sh*t! – surely somebody somewhere saw something seriously saliently strange?.
P.s. I bet this partial-filler (it was 100% filler until I felt guilty) will be liked much more than my best and most considered stuff.
As The English would say “Sods Law…Sods Law”.
(But what can you do? If ‘Sods Law’ prevails. All you can do is get your spade out).
Anton Martin Smith Writer 