It's break time again
The steam whistle blowing
All hands stop
Stacks of boxes
Not growing

We walk outside
To have a smoke on the wharf
Where grass grows up through concrete
And the sea is green and dark

Hobnail boots ping ping
On metal stairs
Wrinkled scarred hands zip up jackets
Old dogs who know nothing but work
Blow smoke in your face
And call you "boy" in thick accent

They don't scare me like they used to
Because I have cuts on my hands now
From diving over a railing
To save an impatient old man

It seems just when life gets to where you want it
You have a dream about someone
And your jumping over railings
Into the teeth of a cutting board

It seems just when life gets to where you want it
You have a dream about a girl
And your waking up alone in the dark
Drinking water and taking pain pills
Even when nothing really hurts at all

you're like a little checkbook

i pull out blanks
and write
"three, four, five kisses"


signed
*michelle

Jane had climbed
the Downs with you

and had hardly spoken
on the tiring climb

along the dried up tracks
on the way up

and then at the top
standing beside you

she stared out across
the countryside

and said
you can see

where I live from here
and she pointed out

to the church down beneath
and you said

yes
and took in the church

and the house
where she lived

with the parson
and his wife

and tried to pick out
which bedroom was hers

and she said
I like it up here

away from the crowds
and nearer to God

and you studied her profile
and her hair

and the way she stood there
in that summer dress

and sandals
and with that youthfulness

and you wanted suddenly
to kiss her

and embrace her
but you didn’t

you just stood
and studied her profile

and moving closer
you reached out

your hand
and touched hers

and her hand was warm
and as you squeezed it gently

you sensed the pulse of life
run through

and the moment
seemed to explode

in your head
in a myriad

of colours and sounds
and you rubbed your thumb

along her wrist
checking the pulse

the life
wanting her

to be the one
and pointing upward

she said breaking through
your dream

look at the colour
of that sky

and feel the warmth
of sun.

morning
could come
and there would be
no way
to wring
my hands
of their
loneliness