Fear of losing you

Jolted from slumber
by my heart
colliding with
my ribs.
All hope
is gone
for you are
swept away
by a freak wave
into oblivion
and I am alone.

The Gift

My transport
to the wedding,
my contribution
to a gift
that would float
the happy couple
into a blue
sky of
togetherness,
is wasted.

She went
for a haircut
came back
with a
snake tattoo
from hip
to armpit
an artistic
and unexpected
cold blooded
surprise for
her life partner
to be.

With the confidence
that can
only come
from possession
of an
indigo reptile,
she demanded
a pet monkey
as a wedding gift,
but simian threesomes
held no allure
for him.

Just as
preferences for
body art
and domicile fauna
were opposed
their paths
are now
East and West.

As for me,
I’m at
a crossroads
with a
one way
ticket to Preston
and twenty percent
share in
a balloon flight
over the
Massai Mara.

Magpie

At the top
of the food chain
wearing black
with white apron
she guards
her success
with eyes
of polished jet.

Left over
from a
bygone age
the old bird
hovers
screeches orders
at the youngsters.

You can smell
the vinegar
in her hair
years of work
have left her
like the fish,
battered.

She has trawled
the seas
of visitors
for the contents
of the tourists' wallet,
face deformed
through years
of forced
politeness.

Yes
the Magpie Cafe
still serves
the best
Whitby cod
chips
and mushy peas
money can buy.