This fine weekend this thrice-beamed man
Has driven his metaphorical van
From Ecclesall via
/ a border town non-Voices call obsession /
To take in this Pete Atkin show:
The Captain of a pirate site
He struggles hard to ease our plight
With fusillades of fresh insight
Delivered through our Windows.
A homepage titled with ironical feel
Done over grey for text appeal
And built with such Birkillian zeal
There's little left to tack on:
Words and music glorified
Memories thrown open wide
And this amazing man onside
Fantastic anorak on.
It must be standing toe to toe
With Sylfest Muldal trading literary blows
While the pile of MV messages grows
That makes it all worthwhile:
To us Steve seems an extraordinary guy
The reason Carole never said "Goodbye"
While Alexis, Andy's household spy's
Been full of loving guile.
And yes, I've got some worn discs I
Need to change and thanks to Steve soon I'll
Be queueing up and reaching high
For a CD that sounds lovely:
Neo-Atkinian quavers will make this day
And the thing that's in this parcel may
Show we're behind you all the way
Believe me, here's the bubbly
So Steve and Carole and Alexis too
You may be sure we think the best of you
So here's a toast from all the crew
The assembled Midnight Voices:
"Long life, good health and all you wish
Maybe for Steve yet another dish
And enough domains to establish
Yourselves with Three Rolls Royces."
You'd guess from how we've made a meal
With darting tongues and wits of steel
From a depressive critic's maudlin spiel
That we were born to borrow:
Gone to seed, we ageing kings
But retained the taste for brilliant things
'Specially the stuff Pete plays and sings
A boon for our tomorrows.
[CLICK AN IMAGE TO ENLARGE]
