no-one knew more
than Leonard McGraw
about the history
of the municipal
swimming pool
it was a subject
he could talk about
in depth,
at length,
and, when time was short,
at width
Selected poems
The Unbearable Lightness of Boing
Assorted Poems, Selected poemsyou knocked me to the floor
riding your spacehopper
the lightness of your boing
got me good and proper
Busman’s Holiday
Assorted Poems, Selected poemsi had always
wanted to go on
a busman’s holiday
so i saved up
for ten years
and then
five holidays
came along
all at once
things i would (and wouldn’t do) for love
Assorted Poems, Selected poemsi would do anything for love
wear a hat,
do the dusting,
stroke your cat,
read Augustine
but i won’t do THAT
because that’s disgusting
Eggbasket
Assorted Poems, Selected poemsHelen was told not to put
All her eggs in one basket.
But with only one basket
And only one egg,
She wasn’t really sure what her other options were.
You Can’t Judge A Book
Assorted Poems, Selected poemsyou can’t judge a book
by its cover
but neither can
you cover a judge
with a book
unless the book
is a foldy-out one
with a map or something
love is like a skin
Assorted Poems, Selected poemslove is like a skin
that protects you
a warmth that spreads
from your fingertips
to your heart
sorry – not love –
glove, i meant glove
untitled haiku
Assorted Poems, Selected poemsi don’t really
know what a haiku
is
you took the last bus home
Assorted Poems, Selected poemsyou took
the last bus home
i still don’t know
how you got it through the door
but you’re always doing amazing stuff
like the time
when you caught that train
You stitched together the pauses
Assorted Poems, Selected poemsyou stitched together
the pauses
from old, discarded
Harold Pinter
plays
until you had made yourself
a
blanket
of
silence
