The Geranium Hotel Poems

Dust in my pocket come on put your hand in come on put your hand in big black duffle coat Cigarette Art-house In-house House-Gallery Persuasion of Champagne Spend the evening on a staircase One hand in a dusty pocket talking of prostitutes and cellos and children locked in car trunks come on put your cents in come on put your cents in did you know 6 men threw a teacher off a bridge? and I've been told in my eyes is a Sexual Perversion An Attraction A smile that will cause events And I'm telling you there is dust in my pocket come on put your hand in come on put your hand in Do you read? Discuss Stupidly? I'm not interested in anything else I am the mediated humour of Balzac Explain?

The smell is what he noticed first not the statues, the pigeons or vendors It was the smell that seemed to rise from the very ground It was the smell that seemed to fall from the sunset haze Until he realised it came from the water The water that came from everywhere From beneath the houses From under the streets Even the people seemed to be of it Always clambering around with such ease From one gondola to the next He took a pensione called the 'Moderna' Though it was not that modern Taking a pensione was was the english thing to do As was fitting in And he tried his hardest to fit in with his fellow guests Eating the english cuisine with the war veterans at sundown Listening to Vivaldi on the gramophone with the students at the bar afterwards He listened to their conversations and tried to relax He drank the scotch imported from his home He drank to relax but it was just like home He felt none of the promised relief None of the joy