somebody strikes a match
outside the corner shop
at the park the team are using
jumpers for goalposts
you put your lipstick on
in a hurry this morning
dropped your Tube ticket
somewhere at Caledonian Road
a teenager sings Dancing Queen
wears an Adidas sports bra
the old man is sleeping again
you saw him two days ago
phone’s on 22%
brother’s birthday is tomorrow
in a second-hand shop
with its own brand of smell
the spines are cracked
the pages have yellow breath
lunch is barely a fiver
the guy on the till is called Brian
if you could you’d tell
a person how you’ve looked
for this one story
but there are too many shelves
and no person
to help you look
Sep 13, 2018
Sep 13, 2018 at 6:03 PM UTC
somebody strikes a match
outside the corner shop
at the park the team are using
jumpers for goalposts
you put your lipstick on
in a hurry this morning
dropped your Tube ticket
somewhere at Caledonian Road
a teenager sings Dancing Queen
wears an Adidas sports bra
the old man is sleeping again
you saw him two days ago
phone’s on 22%
brother’s birthday is tomorrow
in a second-hand shop
with its own brand of smell
the spines are cracked
the pages have yellow breath
lunch is barely a fiver
the guy on the till is called Brian
if you could you’d tell
a person how you’ve looked
for this one story
but there are too many shelves
and no person
to help you look
Written: September 2018.
Explanation: A poem written in my own time - feedback welcome as always. A link to my Facebook writing page can be found on my HP home page. Please note that 'fiver' is a British slang term for a five-pound note, while 'Caledonian Road' is a stop on the London Underground, or 'tube.'
Request permission to use this poem