Hove Actually
Your room is full of our breathing
and dreams. When I heave up the window,
prop it on its stick, sun breezes in,
chases our heat clean out.
Down in the street, builders shout,
look for masking tape, spit in the gutter.
At number 80, scaffolding thwacks in the air
that buffets up the hill from the jiggling sea.
Soon, I’ll send you a text message,
think of you smiling at my small words
as you walk to your job in the benefits office,
past the delicatessen, the Irish pub, the futon shop.
I could be contented here in your room
riding high in the seaside sunshine,
watching shadows slide across the ceiling,
sipping tea from a blue mug, sorting your books.
But I know I can’t stay. I’ll shop with you tonight,
drive you home past the bars and the clubs,
the Lanes and the whole-food restaurants,
the flat conversions where your friends live.
Then I’ll turn back up the motorway, crossing
my fingers on the wheel, wondering about the next time,
because I’m getting to like that shabby pavilion,
although you belong to Hove, actually.
Page(s) 27
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