a story: today i went out shopping and i
bought two pairs of the same earrings
in vaguely different colours
and so i stood there in Peacocks
holding one in each hand
looking up at the lights and thinking
i ought to have worn a shirt
instead of a jumper today
but i just didn’t expect it to be so warm
im wondering if i can pierce my ears
at home by myself because ive just recalled
my lobes closed up three years ago now
a needle, i am thinking, a needle and thread
and i’ll stitch my ears shut cartilage to cartilage
til not a word will scratch its way in
because every shaven-haired loose-lipped
teenage boy in every crowd
is God and we live by a sea where every gull
speaks the devil’s tongue
and i dont want to hear a bit of it anymore—
three pounds, i am thinking,
do i have change?