atari games
when i was a teenager i had an atari games system
me and my mates played space invaders, pacman and river raid
competing to get the best score and be the best

it was a saturday afternoon in summer in the 80s

that's when it happened while we gamed away
we heard a huge bang and ran out of my mum's house
and down to the road for we knew it was bad
a crowd had gathered and oh ******* hell look!

a girl was lying still on the ground

was she dead?
but i only thought that later
we could see she was nice, too nice,
for all of her legs and **** was on display
as were her ******* and raised short skirt
and what of her face?

i knew she was pretty

there was blood on the ground
but we didn't see it till later
she was near a bus stop which was bent
was she waiting there when she was hit?
hit by the car that was halfway off the road

and equally thru the stone wall?

where was the driver?
the crowd said he'd fled the scene
over the fields and look,
there's tracks thru the grass

my mate's dad came to help the girl

her told his son to go to their house for a spoon
the girl was vomiting and it would **** her
soon his dad cleared the girl's mouth
so she could breath and he stayed by her side
while we watched from over the road

the ambulance soon came and took her away

and later still, the cops nicked the driver
he was drunk and driving and almost killed the girl
later still i learnt she made a full recovery
i wonder where she is now?

does she remember how close she came to death?

and what of the driver who hurt her?
this was 35 years ago and i remember it
like yesterday and the message it says:

don't drink and drive...

I'll never forget these times
Sitting underneath our star
Laughing while the wind chimes
Forgetting everything in a parked car

Facing
catching breath
with sudden skin  
hands pull in
never close enough
with lips unclosed
not unclothed
we shouldn't
but we could
oh how we would
and why?
for who we were
there
see that foggy window
long gone now
where behind
our shut eyes
we warm belied
the leather cold

In the car somewhere between all the laughter and singing,
it happened.

Everything changed.

He went from being a face in the crowd to a one man show.

The spotlights are all on him.

From a known friend to a familiar stranger.

One who makes me so nervous I can't stand it.

I no longer see the same person, his appearance is different.

I can't pretend anymore.

It's still fun and games,
but this underlying tension..

The too long gazes, sweaty palms and shaky words.

Heart's beating out my chest by hearing his name.

Seeing him makes my legs weak.

Acting like nothing around him is a challenge.

Yet I long for the next time.

easy on the transmission
she says and
i feel
skin on my hand
i breathe a little

think of your happy place
she says and
i see
waves
and palm trees

where are you
she says and
i say
the beach

you hate the beach
she says and
i nod
in agreement

there is a car that drives by here
when it passes things happen
all types of things
good, bad, indifferent
they don't know who drives it
it could be a drone car
or driven by satan himself
or even jesus or an alien
this car is the global car
appearing everywhere
even on your street
beware when you see it
something may happen
good, bad or indifferent