Don't talk to me of an Afterlife;
there isn't one.
And as for hopes of Paradise,
you make it here.
And don't you dare to mention miracles;
we live on one
and know for all life death is natural
and nowt to fear.

There is no Hell although it would be
justice for some
and only troubled minds face Purgatory
year after year.
With sects created from the gullible
by charlatans
how anyone can still have faith in prophets
is unclear.

Our modern world sees less observance
of religion
although some people still need something
to revere.
And so, despite continued brainwashing
of children,
the trend is that belief in God
will disappear.

Beautiful women display in a bubble
of untouchability tempting a prick
and even if there's no immediate trouble
when men lose control of the drive in their dick,
unwanted intrusions, albeit youthful,
may not be forgotten by those victimised
and test reputations of the untruthful
defending themselves with obvious lies.
Years after the incident think of the shame
occasioned to parents, friends, children and wife.
Although you may try to escape from the blame,
the consequence surely will ruin your life.
So, gentlemen please pay attention to such
an obvious maxim - look but don't touch.

The actuality is it's just another
dormitory like any other
but permeated by the idea
of somewhere new - Brasilia.

The summer sunset peered through the bedroom window
and blushed at what it saw.

Urbino, Italy

The grandeur of the palace re-awakened
all the old anger at outrageous riches
derived at base from peasant poverty.

The same few biblical events all taken
uncritically on walls and shadowed niches
in gloomy paintings brainwashed laity.

And so the visit kept my thanks unshaken
for our democracy, despite its glitches,
more intent on gaiety than deity.

When I was young, my parents embarrassed me;
now older I cringe at the younger self I see.

Welcome to Guyana

We crossed the border from Boa Vista and started to follow the orange dirt road. The skinny savannah of Brazil began to put on weight as fleshy forest padded the far horizon. The narrow road soon needle pointed through walls of wood - the palmless, pineless lush green leafery patrolled by black clad vigilant vultures. Kilometres of whorled and rutted track eventually stretched the view to distance of marsh. Canals and roadside pools erupted water birds - egrets, herons, occasional jabiru storks. King vultures posed for our tourist cameras. Then forest ruled again. The single lane track became furrowed, freshly ploughed by lorries, until on a rare smooth straight our truck slowed down as a distant object across our way lazily stirred itself, stretched and casually strolled off into the jungle - jaguar.