“Some cunts
stole my shoes!”
said Danny
I looked
at his socks
soggy
and soaked
stepping
in puddles
“I was asleep
in the park
minding me
own business
and the cunts
stole my shoes!”
Danny’s dad
up in Scotland
used to read him
Robert Burns
his dad is dead
and so is my dad
Danny’s child
is also dead
I think about his
missing tooth
his poems
about Christ
and Calvary
I asked him
if he wanted
something to eat
he said he would
like that
he told me
he could
buy himself
a cheap pair
of sandals
at a charity shop
for six quid
so I gave him
the six quid
We went
to the pasty shop
he wanted a giant
and before
he ate it
he used it
for a few moments
to warm his left foot
and I gave him
some money
for a bus fare
he said he had
to get to Henbury
I told him
if I saw him again
I’d make sure
I’d say hello
Bristol, November 2008
