Belgrave Road
Seventeen days of sun and fog.
Warm beer and a book.
Spanish girls in England and
French girls in France.
No sex.
Backpack in a cage.
Coffee with milk and
Grocery store sandwiches
On a duct-taped couch.
Keychain tied to
Giant teddy bear.
Custard in a cup and
Plastic bag sounds at 3 a.m.
Photo-savvy giant ravens
On turrets in the rain.
Silence and
More silence
Before the girls
Crash the lobby
Sporting lipstick and
Eye-smears on their way
Home from Piccadilly.
The midnight organ
Hums in my ears.
Stacey Madden’s first novel, titled Poison Shy, will be published soon with ECW Press.
