Dreaming of Good Lines for You
Good lines about you.
Usually they come in dreams.
I'll be asleep, dreaming,
and the poems pop out,
line after line,
mostly about you.
And I'm somewhere reading.
Am I on radio? I think so.
I hear a voice, maybe John Campbell's,
but whoever it is they're excited:
'marvellous', 'excellent', 'love that
opening line,' and, of course,
'it's a wonderful poem and will
you read another for us . . . look,
I've enjoyed talking to you.
They're wonderful poems . . .'
And then suddenly I'm awake again,
I'm searching for the applause,
but all I can hear is the radio.
It's John Campbell
speaking to Fleur Adcock,
and outside the day and the best
lines I've written are still
not as beautiful as you.
Good Looks
me and a friend went home
drank a few beers
then headed back
when we arrived we went
straight to the bar
and drank some more . . .
soon i had to run or
else miss my lecture,
i was close to dropping out.
i turned up and apologised
for not handing
in my tutorial slips
but soon i just cracked up;
she could smell the beer.
then i took my seat
listening to them talk
about art and film and after a while
i found myself gazing
long and hard at her,
and you know i didn't realise
just how good she looked till then.
©Mark Pirie
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