Photograph of the Actor Jim Davis and His Daughter Tara, 1953. By John Doyle

The aftermath of Wednesday

looks like a dry-run for the apocalypse,

in spite of this

I know Cesar and Laura are still in love,

their graffiti tells me, on a wall in Moncada, Valencia -

no-one dares clean it, there is hope for humanity,

a screed of decency, however small.

I return to this photo -

Jock Ewing and his baby-girl, 17 years before this all ends,

25 before he begins again, then accepts fresh pastures,

Clydesdale terrain on-high, 3 years after.

No-one cleans this graffiti. 

There are patches on walls

everywhere 

that tell us, what is righteous, divine, just -

Jim and his baby-girl know it, Cesar and Laura know it
 -

how about you?

John Doyle became a Mod again in the summer of 2017 to fight off his impending mid-life crisis; whether this has been a success remains to be seen. He has has two collections published to date, A Stirring at Dusk in 2017, and Songs for Boys Called Wendell Gomez in 2018, both on PSKI's Porch.

He is based in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. All he asks is that you leave your guns at the door and tie up your horses before your enter.