The Placebo Diaries (5)

The Big Get Even

Perhaps it was too much
for the Sindicate to accept
such a substantial loss
Understandably upset
they put out
a 24 hour contract
on poor Leon
their number one suspect
Goons with prison haircuts
packing serious heat
under ponchos and anoraks
were scouring the streets

I advised Leon to go underground
With so high a price on his head
deep down in the catacombs
of Placebo Town
was the safest place
to lay low and play dead
but he chose to make a break for it
and hailed a taxi cab instead

Leon didn’t quite make it
He bought it on the way
to the airport as everyone
from the police down
were on the look out for him
In a city where corruption
is a team sport
and the bad guys
always seem to win
it’s hard to escape
the Sindicate’s deadly reach
Yet in Leon’s
blood soaked briefcase
they found only half
of their stolen cash
and not a gram
of that missing stash
Not one crumb!
Now ain’t that a shame?

Was Leon working
with someone else?
An unseen partner in crime?
Some mastermind of stealth?
Or perhaps just
some street vigilante
who got lucky
in getting even
for several good friends
mysteriously gone missing?

Murdering fiends
are those despicable
“Dictators of Sin”
I sincerely hope
they never find out
what I have hidden
underneath my bed
as the Sindicate
never forgives
and will never forget
Not at least
until they’re all dead

A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR

The Seven Hills
of Placebo Town
are where the best
single origin
peccadilloes are found
Grown with pride from
the seeds of gluttony
to meet the need
that need to feed
of a greedy breed
Guaranteed
to be friendly
our peccadilloes
are rarely deadly
(at least not quickly)
When envy is a must
and you’re busting
with combustible lust
you need a peccadillo
you can truly trust
A Placebo Peccadillo โ„ข
Don’t be a sloth!
Try one now …
or you’ll feel my wrath

Words by David B. Redpath ยฉ 2022

Artwork and Inspiration …
courtesy of Multiple Michael ๐ŸŽจ ยฉ 2022

https://multiplemichael.wordpress.com/2022/07/25/picasso-24/

72 thoughts on “The Placebo Diaries (5)”

    1. Thank you muchly, Tanmay ๐Ÿ™
      Yes, I was busy with this one
      changing the names of the
      victims and the villians ๐Ÿ˜Ž
      as I’m seriously hoping that
      the Sindicate have forgotten
      all about poor innocent me ๐Ÿ˜‡

      Liked by 5 people

  1. Crime poetry David? Iโ€™ve never read anything like this. Well letโ€™s hope the syndicate doesnโ€™t read this! But Iโ€™m guessing theyโ€™re more interested in roughing up pizza shop owners so that they pay for protection than reading stuff on a blog. Brilliant stuff though. I enjoyed reading it.

    Liked by 7 people

    1. Greatly appreciated, Nitin.
      Thanks for validating my venture
      into disorganised crime.
      Yes, this poem has no connection
      with a certain Pizzeria in Brooklyn.
      Anyway, I was home on Long Island
      at the time.

      Liked by 6 people

  2. I suppose there is no harm in trying
    a ‘Placebo Peccadillio’
    I could always pretend to be another
    old ‘Armadillo’
    from the South American city
    of Rio de Janeiro

    Liked by 5 people

    1. The interesting thing, Ivor, is that
      the Seven Hills of Placebo Town
      are all active volcanoes ๐ŸŒ‹
      as sulphur fumes produce the
      very best peccadilloes ๐Ÿฅ‡๐Ÿ†
      Just don’t go picking them yourself
      or you’ll burn your toes off ๐Ÿฆถ ๐Ÿ”ฅ

      Liked by 4 people

    1. Thanks Don. The artwork is all
      courtesy of Multiple Michael,
      who has been known to take a
      walk on the weird side. As for the
      poetry, I think most would agree,
      it was all very conventional ๐Ÿ˜Ž

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Yes … the Sindicate is a disgrace
      Sin does tend to dictate
      as it deviates all over the place
      Whereas hope elevates
      like the gentlest touch of grace
      But sometimes we just need
      a good hard slap to the face ๐Ÿ˜Ž

      Thanks for indulging my verses,
      Buckeye ๐Ÿ™ I’ll be sure to light a
      candle for you at the Cathedral
      of Hard Knocks๐Ÿ•ฏ๏ธ๐Ÿ˜‡ ๐Ÿ•ถ๏ธ

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Young? (Laughing). I was called the Antichrist in a public meeting once. I am pretty well removed from the popular culture and their placebos and sins. I have my own years of sins to deal with.

        Liked by 2 people

      2. The consolation of old age.
        Growing old disgracefully,
        remembering one’s youthful
        indiscretions … without any
        meddling parental supervision.
        That, and the getting of wisdom ๐Ÿค”

        Liked by 2 people

      3. FYI Mister DIY
        Anti – Rust is absolutely essential
        when treating corroded metal.
        An Anarchist or two
        may also come in handy ๐Ÿ˜Ž๐Ÿ˜Ž
        … but probably detrimental ๐Ÿค”

        Liked by 2 people

      4. I told the woman, who after calling me a string of foul expletives before calling me the Antichrist (did I mention she was pissed?), that Nero was the Antichrist, but she insisted it had to be me. All I was doing was trying to uphold the rule of law. Can you imagine that?

        Liked by 2 people

      5. Only one in that case. What was funny is that years later we were at a friendโ€™s sonโ€™s graduation party.The woman I pissed off was his piano teacher. She sat next to me at the party. My wife kept nudging me and whispering: โ€œIsnโ€™t that the woman who called you the Antichrist?โ€ I whispered back โ€œYes! Donโ€™t remind her or all Hell will break loose!โ€

        Liked by 2 people

      6. Its interesting, Timothy.
        I married a music teacher, who’s
        grand on the piano ๐ŸŽน Also I had
        an Auntie Chris, but she was very
        nice, and a bit of a saint as she made
        no complaint when I burnt Rome
        down, including her house ๐Ÿก๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ˜Ž

        Liked by 1 person

  3. A masterful piece; I love the word โ€˜peccadilloโ€™ and its penchant for playfulness; the artwork is stunning, David; youโ€™re pushing that envelope about as far as it can go without tearing ; or is it me pushing the metaphor? love the word play too ๐Ÿ™‚ and the gritty narrative โ€”

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Muchos apreciado, John ๐Ÿ™
      You’ve seen right through
      the thin veil of my motivation,
      as I endeavoured to rip the
      envelope a new one (as they
      say in the classics). But then,
      I learnt everything I know
      on the poetically alien streets
      of Placebo Town โœŒ๏ธ๐Ÿ‘ฝ

      Liked by 3 people

  4. Glad to see youโ€™ve tried your hand at writing a narrative poem, David.

    Quite a lot of narrative poetry was written in the 18th and 19th Centuries.

    But it seemed to have been forgotten in the 20th Century.

    Iโ€™ve tried writing a few narrative poems since 2013.

    Glad to see someone is joining me

    I thoroughly enjoyed your story of Leon and the sindicate in poetic form.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Greatly appreciated, Christopher.

      I have previously tried emulating
      my poetic hero, Henry Wadsworth
      Longfellow, but in this age of fast
      food and instant gratification, I’d
      often get a reaction of, “Hey fellow,
      this twaddle of yours is too long!”
      (assuming they’d be referring to
      my writing?). I can only imagine
      Longfellow getting similar critiques
      when his ‘The Song of Hiawatha’
      was first published.
      Christopher, where did human
      civilisation go wrong, and become
      so uncivilised? Was it the advent
      of Television … or possibly, maybe,
      the invention of the Atomic Bomb?
      Perhaps I’ll go ask that Vladimir
      Putin? He seems to have a hand
      in what’s going on.

      Liked by 3 people

    1. Thanks for the interest ๐Ÿ™ but
      WordPress had it removed, Will.
      Somethig about a morality clause?
      Fortunately for me my details are
      still meticulously kept on the F.B.I.
      Most Unwanted List ๐Ÿ˜Ž

      Liked by 2 people

      1. I’m an open book ๐Ÿ“–
        doing life’s dirty work
        behind a closed door๐Ÿšช
        It’s a hard chore ๐Ÿ’ช
        but someone’s
        gotta do it, Will ๐Ÿ˜Ž
        but best I say
        no more about it ๐Ÿ™Š

        Liked by 1 person

  5. Overall, I just love the design and colors you use on your blog. It pops. I have always wanted to make mine pop off the screen but I always thought the words would do that as well.

    anyway looks great. your style is genuine

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thanks for that, Christian ๐Ÿ™
      This post was a collaboration,
      with Multiple Michael providing
      the artwork ๐ŸŽจ
      Your, ‘So, Whatโ€™s The Deal With
      You & Miley Cyrus?’ certainly
      had an eye popping moment ๐Ÿ˜Ž
      We do tend to read with our eyes.

      Liked by 1 person

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