For our penultimate Creative Fridays as editors, we feature another poem by the talented Peter Tse.
Along the road
The song sounded Russian or French,
No, German…
The chorus sounds familiar.
That guy on the phone earlier was talking French.
Everything looks the same in this damn country.
The houses, the cars, the damn people.
The roads, though, look familiar to home.
Students drink far too damn early.
They’re out again, ev’ry night.
Spare us change for a ‘ot tea, please.
Please.
Beer would do me fine, you’ve ‘ad plenty.
Not as nice as that earlier fella in the long coat.
Glad I bought my coat today.
Buttoning it up, tightening my scarf.
There’s normally taxis here, maybe it’s a busy night,
Well I still have an hour,
or so, I can walk.
My coat pocket feels flat, my wallet is a palimpsest.
There’s a credit card
In the middle of the road.
Run over by a car, a car – beep – a van
A pedestrian crossing, a cyclist,
A couple walking across the road.
A couple walking across the road,
Clasping each other’s hands tightly
To stave off the cold of the night
The restaurant was warm, but the walk
Back is chilly. They had the right idea over there.
With woolly gloves, scarves, hats
Thick coats and still holding hands.
After the last stroke, you’ve got to be more careful dear.
Yes stay warm, but it was their anniversary.
50 years on, the restaurant was still there.
Still there on the park bench,
Yesterday’s newspaper folded by his side,
They were the 183rd couple to have walked past today.
Peter Tse
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