When all the clocks broke
Female bodies mingled in rushes of salsa dancing

Never was a dime slipped into the pockets of employees

And in the doorway of the old hotel,

A violet blouse on a chesty girl unbuttoned itself from constipated misery

Relentless feet dragged their tired tenants through Collins St

(hoping for a new pair of shoes)

Wireless networks connected loves that roamed in sanctum

And tales of driving wheeled on devil’s toes

Australian jails were crammed with addicted coffee drinkers

And cafes lacked, what you would call the rush hour

Nine out of ten ugly people became famous

And the eleventh burnt down the house of his father

(he had a big nose)

Carnivals of happiness had men dancing in light blue suits

And rampant desires of youth aired their egos in the sunlight of spring

On the window pane, an old lady told secrets about old lies

And little children dressed in confetti listened intently

Spring water was gulped down by sportsmen on the fields of strength

Hammers nailed idiocy into the pavement

And academic wisdom barricaded itself from society

They could not tolerate the infused liberty of stupidity

Pig-headed dogs barked and howled

Cats meowed and drank milk on the footpaths of Rathdowne Street

And Sri Lankan milk bar owners caged their faith in foils of chips

Tasty cheese burnt on top of toast in ovens

As a girl called Trish forgot she was alive

And her housemate Alma left half her mind in the pocket of her boyfriend

Who bought with it new tubes for his bicycle

Writers all over Melbourne penned down the atrocity of this revelry

And artists wore green socks to prove their ingenious

Backpack wearing school boys chased skirts on the ovals of their schools

And teachers scratched their arses in empty class rooms

Deviation from the norm took the wrong turn, and drunkenly

Came back to the same spot to started to deviate from

Hearts of love justified their feelings with blood filled veins

Flames of chipped wood burnt democracy to the ground

And communism was praised by the homeless

As George W. Bush prepared a speech in his white house bathroom

Fish swam in the wrong direction as jelly in the ocean mingled with salt

And divers finally found the treasures of pirate ships

As planes began to think for themselves and skydived

Tall women in the street fantasises about being raped

Invisible married couples pleaded for divorces

Their genitals twittered for strangers

Time lapsed as always and orphaned feelings of disarray desires

Planted seeds in placid men – the bandages came off sore feet

And the lion heart sailors stormed the waters of rules and began to demand victory

Clothing stores increased prices and no one wore clothes

Naked happiness sparked like diamonds

Splashed virtues splattered all over the pavement and streets

The city began to weep for less structuralism

And building enraged wanted to dance

But the bricks did not let them

Freedom was felt in the air; streamlined in emptiness

Umbrellas shadowed the faces of criminals

And in shopping trolleys, kids banged wooden spoons

Musicians experienced inversions of instruments

And waves made of books carried the sea of wind

Whilst professionals surfed on top of folders

Fatherless children took acid and ran for cover

And mothers without husbands raised their skirts

High into the air, selling Tupperware

Prostitutes wiggled in joy

Jail-house tattoo parlours ditched their gear

Rooms smelt like diesel and unleaded petrol

Everything counted the wrong direction

Crumbling beauty of life derived from the sin of theory

And prophets of these spilled revelations kept yelling their minds

As nothing came out of their mouths

They were beaten with sticks made of broken lamps

Guns blared and crated arty noise rock

And the bullets sang songs of speedy death

Liquor drank itself to death

Witnesses of this day started preparing for life ahead

And parked the days of this folly in the car parks of their minds

So later on, when the world comes to its senses

People can tell tales of a time when the clocks broke