finally i’m annoyed enough to write a poem
i sit & eat in the vietnamese restaurant long enough to feel annoyed
a man is stroking a cat in the doorway
i order the number 4 and watch katie cook the chicken on the grill
finally i’m annoyed enough to write a poem
no meat sauce pls i’m pissed
my tennis shoes are falling apart
i’ve been unhappy long enough to want to fuck you all up
if i wanted good advice i would hired a shrink
you are not the council of wise elders
do not mess with my poetry
don’t worry katie
thank you for the delicious meal
see you later
middle-class
my earliest memory is half
past four
i would hang up the phone
stare blankly into the mirror
strawberry nights
lead me where you left me, strawberry
night where the lights led,
rose tinted,
moon-beamed,
nose bled,
pink finned,
tortoise-shelled,
back to your place
where snowflakes freckle the water
dancing on the rim of the cup
lead me through your best night,
in your best light,
positive, delicate
electric
streetlights flicker like nerve endings
the walk home is twenty three minutes
as you gently express your vulnerability
as you gently express your desire
for company.
Charlie Baylis is from Nottingham, England. He is the Editor of Anthropocene and the Chief Editorial Advisor to Broken Sleep Books. His poetry has been nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize and once for the Forward Prize. You can find him at theimportanceofbeingaloof.