The United States possesses more “weapons of mass destruction” than the rest of the world put together. It is at this moment developing new nuclear systems which it is prepared to use at the drop of a hat. It is totally indifferent to the death of others and will murder anyone who gets in its way. It is the most feared, most powerful, and most detested nation the world has ever known.

The invasion of Iraq was an act of state terrorism. So it is Bush and Blair who are in fact the terrorists. I believe they must be arraigned at the International Criminal Court of Justice and tried as war criminals.

September 23, 2004

The “Special Relationship”

THE “SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP”

The bombs go off

The legs go off

The heads go off

The arms go off

The feet go off

The light goes out

The heads go off

The legs go off

The lust is up

The dead are dirt

The lights go out

The dead are dust

A man bows down before another man

And sucks his lust

August 2004

The Bombs

THE BOMBS

There are no more words to be said

All we have left are the bombs

Which burst out of our head

All that is left are the bombs

Which suck out the last of our blood

All we have left are the bombs

Which polish the skulls of the dead

February 2003

Ashes to Ashes

ASHES TO ASHES

Ashes to Ashes was first presented by the Royal Court Theatre at the Ambassadors Theatre, London, on September 12, 1996. The cast was as follows:

DEVLIN Stephen Rea

REBECCA Lindsay Duncan

Director Harold Pinter

Designer Eileen Diss

Lighting Mick Hughes

Costume Tom Rand

Sound Torn Lishman

Time: Now

A house in the country.

Ground-floor room. A large window. Garden beyond.

Two armchairs. Two lamps.

Early evening. Summer.

The room darkens during the course of the play. The lamplight intensifies.

By the end of the play the room and the garden beyond are only dimly defined.

The lamplight has become very bright but does not illumine the room.

DEVLIN standing with drink. REBECCA sitting. Both in their forties.

Silence.

REBECCA Well . . . for example . . . he would stand over me and clench his fist. And then he’d put his other hand on my neck and grip it and bring my head towards him. His fist . . . grazed my mouth. And he’d say, “Kiss my fist.”

DEVLIN And did you?

REBECCA Oh yes. I kissed his fist. The knuckles. And then he’d open his hand and give me the palm of his hand . . . to kiss . . . which I kissed.

Pause.

REBECCA (cont.) And then I would speak.

DEVLIN What did you say? You said what? What did you say?

Pause.

REBECCA I said, “Put your hand round my throat.” I murmured it through his hand, as I was kissing it, but he heard my voice, he heard it through his hand, he felt my voice in his hand, he heard it there.

Silence.