Soft Riot/TV News

6pm july 4

                  theyre marching on the american consulate
                                                    be/cause

                                    theres nowhere else to go

                       its cold in the city         wind off the water
                                                trains on time

                                                   marching
                                              marching for
                                      marching for reasons

in adeladie a man takes off his coat
in melbourne a man sits down and sighs
in sydney a man changes channels
in brisbane its windy southwest change max 65

    THE CAMERAMEN ARE READY                                             action
                                                                                                      action
          the spotlit streets                                                             action
          spit back cats cars                                                            action

a spearhead of radicals bearing red flags urged
on and led by other students a drawing of the prime      
minister was also burned a petition police wielding
batons kicked and punched 1000 independence day
ball with 99 arrested and constable green hit by
a stone & allowed to leave

I tell ya jude
you cant beat the sheriff

                                            che  che  che  che
                                                che  guevara
                                          che  che  guevara
                                      che  che  che  guevara
                                          che  che  guevara
                                                        che

            angelic hip christ holding
            bulletholes to his poems:
          crucified dead & buried
          after three days he didnt
          rise/no rock rolled back

who live out your lives
  who live out your lives
      in darkness
          in darkness

                            a match
                            three butts
                            ashes all
                            on a box
                            of pins

          the police were unable to find a motive for the killing.
          they suggested three alternatives:

          READY
                    up against the wall
                    they pin the target
                    to your chest & share
                    your last cigarette

                     up against the wall
                    clawing at
          AIM
                    spotlights arclight gutteral swing bark
                    blinding the wire ripping through your outstretched
                fingers tearing at your machinegun gut gut to
                shredding clothes a shirt flagged above bones the
                    wire flashing with the sun wire barbs gaa  sssh  ing

                     when I shut my eyes its dark in my brain

                       zzzooooooooooooomm shot
                                              reversed to full screen
                                              panoramic wall
                                              strung by the hungry prisons of
          FIRE
                                                                  click

          goodnight melbourne
          lights out adelaide
          brisbane shut your eyes
          sydney
                  see you in the morning

Richard Tipping