issue 21 streetcake

© bruno neiva

contents

iain britton – sanctum

sarah crewe - lolita, queen of whalley range

phil howard – get (the mandelbrotset) set? go!

wade lewis – self-knowledge

bruno neiva – abstwee1 (cover image)

winston plowes – fit

rachel stevenson – amazon order

iain britton

sanctum what else would you suggest entranced by the morning the coloured windows birds on power lines choking on arias what else to read in your sanctum? a hot-head has just blown himself up and my newspaper bursts into flames my coffee / burns lips / ideas you’ve stepped so close to the edge of this flat earth

that cultures have taken to flapping arms

technology crackles and wired-up eyeballs blink and fizz together we count the lightning strikes the amplified days a priest’s grumbles between us there are prisons you pull on a black shirt play at solitary confinement as if it were a game

sarah crewe

Lolita,  Queen  of  Whalley  Range.  

1.Cheetham  Hill  

Jet  black  ball  of  bite,  squeal  and  scratch.  You  bit  the  fairy's  finger  and  were  thrown  across  the  coffee  table  like  a  bad  vowel.  Gave  chase  to  each  foot,  a  manic  chiropodist.  You  cost  more  than  the  weekly  shop  but  less  than  a  haircut.  A  name  to  suit  Nabokov  in  the  spirit  of  Cabaret.  

2.  Queen  Of  Whalley  Range  

At  my  most  slutty,  at  my  most  intimate,  you  spied  my  18  year  old  self  from  a  window  sill.  Love  scoop  of  the  century  all  yours.  I  saw  the  way  they  shared  that  Saturday  Guardian,  he  called  her  Princess  as  she  crawled  out  the  Rainbow  cab,sleep  slobber  on  the  suede  poet's  coat,  just  you  wait  until  i  tell  Daddy....  Almost  all  drug  experiences  shared  with  you.  Good  job  cats  can't  talk,  i  thought  whilst  watching  the  toy  soldiers  down  the  sink.  Battle  of  the  Manga  eyes.    Upstairs,  all  fun  taken  out  of  fundamental  as  a  Mark  Morrison  ringer  planned  to  make  you  orphan.  For  once  the  rozzers  were  on  your  side.  Tweety  Pie  Slayer  gave  a  small  smug  grin  and  made  a  dash  for  the  door.  

3.Is  She  Classed  As  My  Pet  Yet?  

"You  forgot  about  the  Child  didn't  you?"  said  your  Daddy  from  a  pilled  up  taxi.  "Whoops"  i  thought.  "A  kitty!"  exclaimed  DSS  man.  A  forced  double  act  to  keep  the  food  shop  hopes  alive.  My  best  impression  of  a  cat  lover  through  clenched  teeth.  Her  best  impression  of  a  Sarah  lover  through    a  hardfaced  gaze.  

4.  Cat  In  My  Kitchen  

There's  a  cat  in  my  kitchen  what  am  i  going  to  do?  Splat  that  cat.  Stamp  stamp  stamp.  Out  out  out.  Splinter  black  in  omelettes.  Whiskas  envy  gloating  purple  over  Smart  Price  beans.  Live  in  fear  little  cat  live  in  fear,  live  in  fear,  Aunty  Sarah's  here....  

5.  Spider  Cat  

Stuck  on  net  curtain.  A  bitter  flower  girl  with  her  claws  jammed  in  the  bride's  dress  train.  Your  feline  prowess  had  failed  you.  Condemned  to  an  Acme  outtake  sketch.  Forgive  me  Lol,  i  grew  up  regaled  with  tales  of  comic  cat  cruelty,  from  boots  to  bin  shutes.  Yet  here  you  were  on  window  display  by  your  own  foolish  paw  and  ten  years  on  the  belly  laugh  remains.    

6.Van  

Manchester-­‐Liverpool-­‐London.  Have  cat,  will  travel.  I  had  your  stunted  box  of  tricks  on  my  knee  as  we  pulled  out  of  the  house  i'd  fell  in  love  in,  the  city  i  was  born  in.  Your  silence  was  welcome.    Motorway  infinite  and  all  too  unfamiliar,  i  was  glad  of  your  presence  and  kept  you  safe.  I  spent  the  journey  fretting  about  the  cat  to  distract  myself  from  fear  and  loss.  As  the  foldaway  disaster  van  parked  up  at  estate  agent,  i  hid  you  under  the  seat  with  bold  type  of  

NO  PETS  lodged  in  memory.  I  shook  at  the  thought  of  Rachman  turned  taxidermist  on  a  Forest  Gate  printer.  But  Daddy  condemned  my  cruelty,  mistaking  out  of  sight  for  out  of  mind.  

7.Shall  We  Dance?  

Shorthand  treated  with  distinct  no  ta  as  i  rattled  along  the  District  Line,  opting  to  spend  the  afternoon  with  my  favourite  psychotic  feline  ballerina.  Flat  door  opened,  eyes  locked.  An  involuntary  serenade  through  a  West  Ham  living  room.  A  furry  coil  on  my  lap  watching  Dark  Lord  Kyle.  You  stayed  there  for  a  whole  hour  once.  I  hate  cats.  

8.  Get  Your  Mad  Hands  Off  My  Cat  (Miles  Platting)  

The  one  man  and  his  cat  conquer  Camden  routine  had  worn  thin  for  Daddy.  Guitar,  check.  Binbags,  check.  Child  cage,  check.  Expression  caught  between  rage  and  resignation  at  the  indiginity  of  being  carted  off  once  more,  check.  Jaw  locked  within  a  scowl  and  a  secret  smirk  at  being  Northward  bound,  check.  Lunacy  that  followed  entirely  unanticipated.  A  surrogate  Daddy  who  couldn't  handle  the  proud  molting  and  regrowth  of  hair.  A  Prittstick  and  shag  pile  under  the  bed  would  not  have  surprised.  Then  Professional  Quinoa  Stockpiler,  must  eat  must  not  must  study  must  not  must  try  harder  must  procrastinate  must  not  covet  cat's  ability  to  treat  each  day  as  blase  as  the  next  and  still  be  treated  as  Goddess.  But  worst  of  all,  the  next  one....a  dog  lover.  If  a  cat's  eyes  could  say  "for  fuck's  sake...."  

9.  The  Last  Time  I  Saw  You  (Miles  Platting  Part  II)  

Serene  and  more  spread  out  with  age,  and  that's  just  what  you  thought  of  me.  Psychedelic  pinks  and  purples,  i  concluded  that  this  was  arguably  the  nicest  place  you'd  ever  lived.  This  was  the  first  and  only  time  you  met  my  son.  Yes,  little  child,  Aunty  Sarah  can  breed,  just  like  mice.    Felis  catus  sneer  replaced  by  sudden  terror,  realising  that  the  Dwarf  in  the  room  sees  your  tail  as  a  comedy  cord.  Our  You  Must  Run  routine  of  flat  days  gets  a  reprise.  

10.Death,  brought  to  you  by  o2  

What  started  as  Kitty  Dentist  ended  in  your  curtain  call.  Just  a  few  days  before  Daddy  turned  30,    you  broke  his  heart  more  than  any  man  ever  did.  Typical  you  to  insist  on  bad  timing  and  a  dramatic  exit.  This  cat  has  no  jaw.  This  cat  you  call  Spaceface  met  the  Grim  Pet  Reaper  as  a  lesser  ignominy  than  being  as  such.  At  the  start  you  didn't  know  me,  at  the  end  you  didn't  know  me  but  the  chunky  bit  in  the  middle  revealed  shared  existence.  Most  featured  four  legs  in  photo  albums,  on  a  Christmas  table,  on  a  Salford  evening  of  acoustic  angst,  odd  ornaments  and  MDMA  fuelled  reason.  A  pang  of  sadness  that  i  never  said  goodbye,  angry  kitten  nails  ragging  through  psyche.  I  can  still  feel  the  inside  of  your  right  ear  at  the  tip  of  my  thumb  and  index  finger.  We  raised  a  misty  eyed  toast,  my  stomach  felt  sick  at  the  thought  of  you  gone.  Just  a  cat  was  just  a  lie.  

11.  Ghost  Cat  

Immortalised  by  Street  View  on  a  high  rise  ledge.  New  cats  reside  with  drama  student  names.  Your  ghost  throws  daggers  at  their  clumsy  foxtrots.  Daddy  and  his  Polski  Boy  are  

swapping  Mancunian  ties  for  kilts.  Flashes  of  you  as  National  Express  darts  past,  haunted  by  us  both  at  our  younger,  sleeker  selves.  A  salute  for  Queen  of  Whalley  at  Salford  Boy's  Club,  at  Princess  Street,  at  Retro  Bar,  as  the  Stagecoach  procession  disappears  into  Studentville,  as  the  feline  of  my  decade  struts  about  a  memory  box.  Lolita,  somewhere  in  here  there's  a  pink  studded  bracelet  with  your  name  on  it,  my  bangle,  your  collar.  My  20s,  your  life.  I'm  sorry  to  see  both  of  them  go.    Press  your  spaceface  close  to  mine,  love....  

phil howard

Get (The Mandelbrot) Set? Go!

! we

! begin with ! ? sheer complexity

how which in turn gives rise ? should we to behavioural simplicity classify them the general laws that hold --?----?constituents of chaos? universally/absolutely

how should we and then that which is ? essay that disorderly is in fact also

now orderly and non-linear ? and is self-similar ! and scalable !

see ?

wade lewis

Self-knowledge Experimental kittens 'A lost cat named Mexico' The poster, fading At least its eyes aren't sewn shut for the sake of self-knowledge

winston plowes

fit an Angel in season passive, for the arms of a man Leg over flank shooting up beyond satisfaction deep numb energy entry on the rise

All the above words were found in The Guardian match report by Kevin McCarra where Real Madrid beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 on Tuesday 5th April 2011 at the Bernabéu. All original case and punctuation preserved.

rachel stevenson

Greetings from Amazon.ho.pe, We are writing to let you know that the following item has been sent to: Rachel Stevenson 13 Faith Street London, London N16 United Kingdom using special delivery services (see below) For more information about delivery estimates and any open orders, please visit: http://www.amazon.ho.pe/your-account Your order #203-6870475-3499520 (received January 11, 2012) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Qty Item Price Delivery Subtotal ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Amazon.ho.pe items: 1 Love £4.50 1 Confidence £8.95 1 Comfort £6.60 1 Contentment £10.80 1 Acceptance of death £20.99 Dispatched via Guardian Angel (estimated arrival date: November 19, 2061). ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Item Subtotal: £51.84 Delivery and handling: £0.00 Total: £51.84 This completes your order. Your right to cancel: You have the right to cancel the contract for the purchase of any of these items within a period of 7 working days. However, we regret that we cannot accept cancellations of contracts for the purchase of excitement, naivety, expectation, freedom, or wonder, where the item has been used up. Otherwise, we can accept returns of complete

product, which is unused and in an "as new" condition. For your protection, where you are returning an item to us, we recommend that you use a recorded Guardian Angel service. Please note that you will be responsible for the costs of the Angel (incl. maintenance of wings etc) returning the goods to us. Note: this e-mail was sent from a notification-only e-mail address that cannot accept incoming ennui, fear, disappointment, disillusionment, or despair. Please do not reply to this message. -------------------------------------------------