BRANCH TENET (101) :
O.T.  O.S.O.S.S.
(On The Other Side Of Stripe Street)

On the other side of Stripe Street,
Outside the Yellow door,
There stands a man
with blue stripped pants
Each day at half past four.

He falls asleep upon one leg
His chin held by his hand
As a taller capped man cycles by
as if it had been planned

He never sees the sunflowers
And never smells their scent
His legs are clad in coloured bands
His arms ‘experiment’

I dream this cycle re-occurs
The reason ‘why‘ I yearn
But when I question mum she says
“It’s books you wanna learn”!

And with that trite and school-like quote
She makes her misdemeanour
For in my instinct I well know
The portent of a dreamer.
For dreams come first – then rationale,
Then schema, funds and action
“The real-life stuff that factors growth
And punter satisfaction.”

On the other side of Stripe Street
I’ll reach that Yellow Door
To make my stand and find out what
My fellow man waits for.

(Grant 1996)