Original Poetry
All poems on this page are Copyright (C) 1993-1998 by Nate
Cull but released to the Web for free distribution, without modification,
as long as proper attribution is made and a link to this web page is included.
Oh, it was such a lovely day;
you should have been there.
The sun was warm, so hot,
atom-splitting in its intensity,
radiating power like the steelworks
down the road, where they made the cars,
and tyres, cool ice-cream on baking asphalt,
and the dime-stores and the soda-fountains,
perfect suburbia, and every day better than
the whole last year, and with the way
things were changing, rockets, computers,
electric guitar bands, and not just cheap
valve amps either, but transistors,
and colour television, well what else
could you expect from the world but
something new and exciting, strange
and wonderful, except perhaps for that
one little thing about the Commies
and their bomb; but lets not talk about
the bad times, or the side-affects;
after all, we wouldn't be where we are
today, if it wasn't for Hiroshima,
would we? And really, looking back, fifty
years later, you must agree, it's all been
so worth while, and we've all had so much
fun, I think I just have to
cry.
Jet trails etched
in a winter sky
the boarding chimes
calling adventures
not for me
amid a subdued rush
of life stories diverging
the sweet smell
of kerosene
and tears
and a sudden silent
emptiness
goodbyes
are always harder
through plate-glass windows
Jesus said,
Love your neighbour as yourself.
However, "love" is a relative term.
So is "neighbour".
Jesus said,
The meek will inherit the earth.
But it does depend on how many guns the meek have.
Jesus said,
Ask, and it will be given to you.
That doesn't apply to world peace, of course.
Jesus said,
Do not return evil for evil.
Unless you're dealing with nuclear warheads.
Jesus said,
Do not be afraid.
As long as you hold the balance of power.
Jesus said,
Give to the poor secretly.
Accidental media leaks can't be helped.
Jesus said,
I will be with you always.
But not to both Protestants and Catholics.
Jesus said,
Go into all the world and preach the gospel.
A rifle is an excellent preaching aid.
Jesus said,
Always speak the truth.
Except when national security is at stake.
Jesus said,
Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
When you're the good guys, you don't need forgiveness.
Jesus said,
Do not judge, or you will be judged.
It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it.
Jesus said,
Do not lord it over others.
Provide strong leadership instead.
Jesus said,
In My name,
you will cast out demons, heal the sick, and raise the dead.
Obviously, He was joking.
Running down a highway
Looking for a dream
Trying to find reality
In a closed circuit scream
Thinking in machine code
Mirrorglass and tears
Burning sweat and acid rain
Self replicating fears
Oh, tell me - is this the way to go?
Do you even know what I mean?
Oh, why do I try to touch the sky?
I'm just a carbon based machine
Looking to the future
The neon and the black
Sideways scrolling newsframes
Blank faces staring back
One and two and thirty
Infinity times four
Self imploding citizens
And five billion more
Oh, tell me - is this the way it is?
Are you even listening to me?
Oh, why should I try to touch the sky
When I'm just a carbon based machine?
The molecular basis of all sentient life on this planet
is the carbon chain, which when combined with oxygen and
hydrogen // the most common element in the universe,
dispersed through interstellar space and fusing at the
heart of a star, produces astounding temperatures ranging
from // room temperature to several hundred degrees centigrade,
thus earning it the name "cold fusion", although in everyday
terms this is actually a misnomer, because the process //
is yet another example of those Cold War urban myths, like UFOs,
which still persist today, despite a complete lack of compelling
evidence to believe // that the human soul, that unique quality
which separates man from animals, even higher primates, could
somehow be identified // exposed to stresses, stimuli and its
reactions observed // under appalling, inhumane, conditions //
yet this hardy perennial continues to thrive // even when it
was revealed in court today that // the so-called "documentary"
we saw last night was actually an elaborate, // falsifiable,
verifiable, repeatable, // hoax // but the true culprit remains
a mystery // and an intriguing puzzle for many generations to
come // watching // Stay tuned! // the evening // Newsflash! //
only on // sixteen channel // digital virtual interface // reality.
Oh, tell me - is this the way we are
Can I even start to make you see?
Oh, oh, is there nowhere I can go
Running from these carbon based machines?
System cleared for automation
Rapid access information
Data matrix navigation
Cultural assimilation
Social change extrapolation
Biofeedback integration
User queued for termination
termination, termination
Operational parameters:
Seek and destroy all
Carbon Based Machines
Carbon Based Machines
Escaping down a skyway
On a wing and prayer
Running out of antibodies
Running out of air
Trying not to panic
Trying to think it through
But when all reason fails, tell me,
What's there left to do?
Oh, tell me - is this the way it ends
Can you even comprehend what I mean?
Oh, why should I be so afraid to die
If I'm just a carbon based machine?
And now... our cosmic hero faces the greatest test of his lifetime,
as the evil Mechanoid Masterminds plot their final vicious attack.
Will Earth survive? Will it be shattered across the known universe?
Don't miss next week's climactic episode, right here in Holovision
4D, AD 2153, same CPU time, same I/O channel!
"Be careful - it's alive!!!"
-- fade to black --
Cargoes Revised
With apologies to John Masefield and NASA
Federation Enterprise, from distant planets,
Warping to the future on our television screens
With a cargo of dilithium, gold pressed latinum,
Aliens, ambassadors, and space-borne dreams
Apollo Eleven, multistoried miracle,
Blasting from the launchpad in a blaze of cheers
With a cargo of cameras, monitors and samplers
Rock-picks, moon-suits, and three pioneers
Petty little Shuttle with a price-plagued budget
Popping into orbit under cold black stars
With a cargo of technicians, test-tubes, tether-lines
Trials, trouble-shoots, and dreams too far
The house is silent as a tomb
In her cold and darkened room
She sits and waits
But knows it is too late
Wishes of what might have been
Fill her heart with fearful dreams
And in a crumpled heap
She cries herself to sleep
The echoes of that shining memory
Still haunt her though she knows they cannot be
The spell is broken, life is still the same
Though somehow still she hopes he knows her name
For one brief moment there she thought
That she had found the hope she sought
But all too soon
Her joy became her doom
The magic of the moment lost
Now she must face the awful cost
Of daring to believe
She could be free
Now all alone she faces her despair
The weight is almost more than she can bear
And worse than ever now she's seen a glance
Of glory in that one forbidden dance
The night is long and full of pain
Until the morning comes again
And though she aches
She knows she still must wake
And though her heart and soul are dead
The household must be clothed and fed
Her sisters will not see
Her agony
And still she hears the echo of her name
And as she works it seems to come again
Then suddenly she turns, to her surprise
And he is standing there before her eyes
And now at last she understands
Her life was always in his hands
And he was there
Beside her through her fear
Her every wish was his desire
But first must come the testing fire
Then love would reign
Like sunshine after rain
The princess now has found her destiny
And in his eyes she sees eternity
Her dreams now know no limit but the sky
And all her sisters stand and wonder why
Well it was thirty years ago today
Sergeant Pepper taught the band to play
And Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Brought the yellow submarine our way
We were young and looking for love
And we imagined blue sky above
But the rain came down and the music stopped
And the lights went out with a pop
And the stars shine out alone
Now we're dancing on our own
Like the ghost of Eleanor Rigby
With a phantom microphone
So put on those blue suede shoes
Dancing to the jailhouse rock
Oh, we may cry as time goes by
But you can't turn back the clock
Well when the Wall came crumbling down
We thought the band was back in town
We bought a trip down Penny Lane
But we knew it wouldn't be the same
Now we're sixty-four yesterday
But we're all out of songs to play
X marks the spot where the children cry
And the house is empty, oh, why?
And the stars...
Well Apollo jumped over the moon
The Beatles sang out of tune
Tomorrow came and went, goodbye
Elvis and the President
They say miracles happen today
If I asked, what would you say
Oh, am I just singing in the rain
Could we ever go home again?
And the stars...
Welcome to the class of '99
You're just in time
To see the end of the world
Welcome to the class of '99
Please join the line
Welcome to the ruins of
Tomorrow
When I was young I used to dream
Of living in a silent steel machine
I cried to no-one that I knew
I couldn't take a chance on you
I read the future, it looked bleak
I made my mind up not to speak
The words that echoed in my head
Frightened me, they said that I was dead
Somewhere somehow I crossed an unseen line
Into a future so surreal
Everything inside my mind
All the thoughts I couldn't feel
Welcome to the class...
When I grew up I made a vow
To have a different dream somehow
I don't know why it came to be
I don't think it was part of me
Now I must wander in the night
Until my liberty takes flight
I don't know what will come of me
I don't think anyone can see
Somewhere somewhen I'll cross the starting line
Into a future so serene
Everything inside my mind
All the songs I've never seen
Welcome to the class of '99
You're first in line
To see beyond the end of worlds
Welcome to the class of '99
Just take your time
Welcome to your wildest dreams
Tomorrow
Class of '99
Part III: Whispers
and after the thunder
the fire and the rain
the fear and the wonder
the quiet again
and the spirit falls silent
and empty and free
and remembers the way
that tomorrow could be
In every life
comes a day
when the castles so high
in an evergreen sky
melt like tears in the tide
swept away
And in that long silent night
all the stars will shine down
on our castles and clowns and
they whisper somehow
there'll be light
and after the thunder...
In every world
comes a storm
when our stony ideals
in their towers of steel
break apart at the peal
of the dawn
And as the long
shadows fade
all the birds fill the skies
singing hope will arise
when we open our eyes
on today
and after the thunder...
And out of the silence
and out of the grey
when hope finds its limit
then faith finds a way
and after the thunder...
I'd like to hold a meeting
A conference of clones
With black attache cases
And pocket beeper-phones
I'd call them all to order
And welcome them by name
And tell them all how pleased I am
That everybody came
I'd read the minutes slowly
Then ask for their report
And one by one they'd tell me
All the stories that they've brought
Each one of them is different
Each one of them is me
But each of them is someone else
That I could never be
We'd grow apart together
We'd never be alone
We'd see the world through prismed eyes
And call each other home
So when the meeting's over
We shake our hands goodbye
And suddenly I'm not just me -
But I - and I - and I
Nightfall
the shopping mall car park is empty
apart from a few abandoned trundlers
some locked cars
and the last shoppers
leaving
a chill wind soon drives them home
away from the barricaded doors
of the closing mall
while cold electric light
glows bright but unseeingly
from sleepless signs
unwatched advertisements
and lone street lamps
an omen perhaps
or a warning
the night is not our friend
A snap-frozen rose
shatters
crystal petals crushed
in abstract time lapse,
free-framed, falling
in infinite void
that cool, careless
endless night
where visions dread
to dream aloud
of silicon cemented
steel-echoed graves
while warriors entomb
an altered state
and I,
by savage sorcery
stalked
await the kill
Another wooden hero falls
beneath the Big Top's swaying shade;
the clowns line out into the rain
singing jumbled drunken chants
while makeup runs in tangled smears
beneath those Harlequin eyes
that see too much, too far, too late.
And from the wings, we hear the cries
of shame and broken wishes,
see the shadows on the canvas raised,
guttering in the limelight's death,
the swinging knives, the muffled stares,
and all the while a child's soft voice
beneath the canting calliope. The curtain
tears, not falls, and suddenly all illusion
shears, as mirror idols tumble, and the man
behind the mask becomes a mortal, lost to fame
and ashen history. The footlights fade,
and who will light our candle now,
another star-crossed moth?
Sing a song of software
A packet full of bits
Four and twenty gigabytes
Encoded on a disk
When the disk was accessed
The world began to spin
Wasn't that a strange new thought
To set before the king?
Sing a song of systems
Of silicon and steam
Of scientists and scholars
All awaking from a dream
As Martin Luther's lightning
Struck the key on Franklin's kite
And Gutenberg's invention
Wrote it down in black and white
And Lady Ada Lovelace
Caught a glimpse of things to come
When the Babbage Difference Engine
Printed out its first small sum
And the wheels of change were turning
While the iron horses rode -
Out beyond the western mountains
Where the streams of hope still flowed
Then came Hollywood and Hitler
Charlie Chaplin and Karl Marx
Josef Stalin and John Lennon
War and peace and broken hearts
And the world still kept on turning
Though we'd all forgotten why
And we asked if Lewis Carroll
Had been on a junkie high
And Apollo 13 made it home
But Challenger died in flame
And JFK's assassin
Still troubles us today
Now we're typing at our keyboards
On the edge of cyber-space
Downloading the new prophets -
William Gibson, William Gates
And we're all a little jumpy
And we're all a little scared
'Cos Mary Shelley's monster
Could have been gene-engineered
And 1984's gone past
But 2001's ahead
Yet we haven't found a monolith
(Though the Berlin Wall is dead)
So we face the bold tomorrow
Where no one has gone before
And we sort of hope that's not because
There's nothing to go there for
And the world just keeps on spinning
And my head is spinning too
And the clouds are flying by
As lightning flashes from the blue
So sing a song of software
Send a packetful of bits
Four and twenty, four and forty
Gigabytes on a disk
And the king counts out his money
As it scrolls across his screen
And he dimly sees the storm outside
And wonders what it means
wire me in
to your silicon smiles
eyes wide terrified
by your innocent guiles
wake me up
in a cold new land
heart of a stranger
in an electric hand
calling victor romeo
he's everything you want to be
sees everything you know
calling victor romeo
welcome to reality baby
welcome to the show
dangerous minds
wear dangerous dreams
when this web unwinds
you're not what it seems
daemons dancing
to a crystal clock
white noise dead mans toys
ecstatic shock
calling victor romeo
do you see the shadow men
singing in the snow
calling victor romeo
welcome to reality baby
welcome to the show
19 18 42
56 ++1 makes you
that's v for vector r for rendevous
and don't ask who just
wire me up
in this shallow dread
starlined spate of mind
spinning through my head
sirens winking
in a bleeding void
timesliced compromised
cyparanoid
calling victor romeo
victor won't you come on in
come and join the show
calling victor romeo
no time for running baby
there's nowhere left to go
Oh, God
where are you,
would you be?
I work, I try to sleep,
but the nightmare came again,
and this time
I think it saw me;
a sky all plated over
with empty beer bottles
and in the stale aluminium
silence there is nothing
no pain, no joy, no words,
no sense of loss, just night;
there was once a lake of tears
but it had dried and blown away,
and the atoms had no mouths
to even mourn
Emily B
for Emily Bowden
Oh, what will become of Emily B?
She spends all her time writing poetry
And I've asked and I've asked her to come to tea -
Have you seen my Emily B?
Oh, why oh why does Emily B
Say such fanciful things to me?
I know she's talking to somebody
Do you know my Emily B?
Oh, what do you think my Emily B
Scribbles at night in her diary
While under-the-bed-monsters wonderingly
Sit and watch my Emily B?
Oh, I'm sure even they couldn't dream what she
Might have done in a week or three
'Cause I've tried and I've tried and I still can't see
What Emily wants to B