the milkmen's grandchildren

It’s the hottest day there’s ever been
the sun is shining, the grass is hither green
Lungs on cigarette packets jolt,
The Tazar gun stuns at fifty thousand volts.
I was walking by the London Eye
And I was trying not to stare
From Hither Thither to Over There
From yesterdays love to Future Love Affair
I remember Sarah’s story for Vince and Sue
A silver line which connected me and you
Old Grandfather Rudie used to talk of it too
Don’t wake too quick, or it could break you.
And as the eye turns, there’s the eye in the hand
It watches me closely, it comes into land
And Grandfather Myers and Grandfather Gunn
Delivered the milk, and set it to stun

i will balance on the wall

Cheap perfume mixed with dog hair to make potions
Chrysalis on twig in jar on windowsill
All the books we had balanced upright to make a city
I will balance on the wall and walk the whole way round -
Under the rowan tree, bending, twisting to get past, but not falling -
Past the nettles to the right and the Gray’s garden to the corner -
Then the wall is thinner, rounded, feet must grip either side -
Past the next corner and the end of Mckenzie Crescent -
Looking down on the pen we kept the crow in -
Wall is thicker now and easy,
faster moving up a step but high -
And in the distance the Aird and the sea is a distraction
as another corner turned -
And then the gate - I only did it once -
four steps across the top rail -
And onto the railings -
only a tiny space between the points -
To fit my feet -
The living room window has no figure in it -
As I make it to the final corner
and jump onto the church wall
And hold the lamp post - it sways slightly
because of years of being ‘Base’.

A baby seal we found in Port Swengo
- its mother further out and anxious.
The crow had grey feathers in amongst the black
Christian lifted it easily, it lived for another year.
The puppies in a basket that Caroline carried
as we stumbled in the dark,
running away from James’ house
as they fought with fence posts in the garden.
The bird that I nursed in Science,
let out at lunchtime and flew back to me.
The whale we tied with rope to tow it out to sea -
watching with an animal’s eye.
The sea otter I disturbed as I climbed over a rock -
before it dived, its bristles touched my cheek.
Lying in the sun with Jacqueline,
sucking honey from tiny, purple flowers
before stealing Marvin’s bike.