She’s just a chick
Greenfield said
they don’t amount to much

as he saw you gazing
at the girl whose name
you thought was Jane

walking alone
down the school passage
in morning recess

you need to get your head
around something serious
like who’s going to win

the school football trophy
or take on Big Brophy
in the school boxing finals

but you saw her hips
move ever so slightly
and her grey school skirt

go sway like caught
by some unseen wind
and you imagined maybe

you could have walked
beside her
and taken her hand

and have said
hey Sweetie
how about a kiss?

but getting back
to reality
you knew you’d say

**** all and your tongue’d
get stuck to the roof
of your mouth

and you’d stutter
like some **** fool
hey Greenfield said

you coming
or are you going to watch
the chick’s sweet ***

going over the horizon?
and he laughed
and you both

walked on
to the woodwork room
where Chiselhead

would be waiting
and the smell
of wood and glue

and unwashed bodies
hung in the air
and you imagined

she was on her way
to the gym
for the workouts

and climbing frames
with other girls
in their gym wear

and you stuck
in the woodwork room
with glue and wood

and tools and boredom
not watching her
not being there.