Loose Change
He came, he went,
He conquered her that night,
Before he took flight,
Chauffered from responsibility
Competitive child,
Beneath a fertile chestnut tree
Even when she tied his laces,
He did not thank me
Swinging her best shot,
He retold his bad jokes,
Side by side on the pavement,
Lost his phone heading home,
His tail between their legs
She waved him farewell,
Behind wound-up, tinted glass,
Could not return, from whence they came,
Open sky would only cause more pain
So she took the high road,
With the Laundrettes
Betting shops,
With the Orthodox
Bought rollmops for her friend,
As the klezmer band marched on,
Took the coins politely ran,
Conviction in her hand like change
Loose change,
She hears that same refrain,
But loosely changed
It lands, you leave,
Regain, recede,
Disbelief suspends the match,
Fuels her every sense
He wills her,
Bare nerves worn to the edge,
Scores a bed notch,
Pound of flesh,
Yet swore to return
Bound in chains,
We hear that same refrain