He sat in the chair
outside the caravan;
the kids had gone
down to the beach,
his wife was inside
preparing lunch.
A tall woman came out
of the caravan opposite
and put items of washing
on a short line to dry;
he caught sight of her,
lifting his eyes
from the book.
He lit a cigarette
and watched as she moved
with slow deliberate motion,
moving up and down
picking out items
from a basket.
He returned
to the book,
but his imagination
ticked over
like a wound up clock.
His wife came out
of the caravan,
and gazed at the woman
hanging washing.
Had your eyeful?
she said.
Of what?
he asked.
Don't pretend
you haven't gawked,
she said,
nodding towards
the woman.
I didn't notice;
busy reading,
he said.
She sat next to him:
Of course you were,
she said,
silly me to think
you'd be eyeing her over.
The woman picked up
her basket and went in
the caravan.
I can't trust you
for a moment,
not to look
at some ****
who hangs washing
seductively,
Netanya said.
He had read
the same page
three times over,
and nothing stuck.
While the kids
are at the beach,
do you want to
do things?
he said.
She said nothing
and went inside,
then came out
to hang washing
unseductedly.
He closed the book,
and finished
his cigarette,
and pretended
to look.
Aug 10, 2019
Aug 10, 2019 at 3:27 PM UTC
He sat in the chair
outside the caravan;
the kids had gone
down to the beach,
his wife was inside
preparing lunch.
A tall woman came out
of the caravan opposite
and put items of washing
on a short line to dry;
he caught sight of her,
lifting his eyes
from the book.
He lit a cigarette
and watched as she moved
with slow deliberate motion,
moving up and down
picking out items
from a basket.
He returned
to the book,
but his imagination
ticked over
like a wound up clock.
His wife came out
of the caravan,
and gazed at the woman
hanging washing.
Had your eyeful?
she said.
Of what?
he asked.
Don't pretend
you haven't gawked,
she said,
nodding towards
the woman.
I didn't notice;
busy reading,
he said.
She sat next to him:
Of course you were,
she said,
silly me to think
you'd be eyeing her over.
The woman picked up
her basket and went in
the caravan.
I can't trust you
for a moment,
not to look
at some ****
who hangs washing
seductively,
Netanya said.
He had read
the same page
three times over,
and nothing stuck.
While the kids
are at the beach,
do you want to
do things?
he said.
She said nothing
and went inside,
then came out
to hang washing
unseductedly.
He closed the book,
and finished
his cigarette,
and pretended
to look.
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