The old Queen
flickers vaguely on the
monochrome screen
and dad
is in the corner feeding Joey
who was a budgie and not a cat
ha
who's a pretty boy then?

I should have said me because
Joey weren't having none of that,
and I say weren't because that's
how we talked
well,
we did,
but Joey never got the hang of it.

dad banged on about it
but the budgie remained silent.

One day,
dad said that he'd flown away
but I cried
I knew he'd died
and
an egg was left behind
it puzzled me,
was Joey not all he pretended to be?

it was the Summer break
and I forgot everything
except the holiday,
I even forgot Joey flying away
and for that
I can't forgive myself.