That night
I wouldn’t want you to think I’d forgotten that night
I’ve been busy
I’ve had shit to do –
an appointment on Thursday
future ex-husbands to meet
and you know, yoga and
I’m not fucking with you
except for when I’m fucking with you
but I don’t want you to think I’ve forgotten that night
I’ve been busy with people I don’t like as much as you
people who don’t think like you
dress like you
sing like you –
in your tone-deaf, extraordinarily bad way
you break stained-glass windows
I haven’t forgotten that night
and this morning I saw icicles melt
the milkman smiled
I swear a dog winked at me
it was all brilliant and it was all a bit like you
I don’t even have a milkman
but over toast I heard something funny on the radio
and I knew that in another, more smug life,
you and me are grinning at the witticism as I pour you more coffee
ceramic smiles as sausages fry, humble
but in this life
it’s just appointments
and the feeling of satisfaction when you lessen your overdraft
or buy new shoes in the sale
or bake bread
or hear Journey
or dance to Meat Loaf in a surreal location;
it’s not a fight
it’s just appointments
and I’m late late late
but I wouldn’t want you to think for a moment
that I’d forgotten that night.
* Molly Naylor is a Norwich-based poet, scriptwriter and puppeteer. She is currently writing her first solo poetry show.
