If I Am To Be Frank -

A Poem by Colin Kingsden

Remember that you did not deserve to wake up
in a bed other than your own, and saunter away

placid and proud, like a dog who has succeeded
in scaring away a flock of defenseless birds.

What do you whisper about at night? The science
and technology of ancient Greece and Rome?

Remember that you did not deserve to dream of
coffee-stained teeth and Jesus on the Cross,

only of train-rides and whatever two-cents I
should inject into your bloodstream about the

irreversible nature of mistake-making. Moreover,
remember that I longed to whisper worthless words

into deaf ears on the concrete ground, the docks;
never the Lakes - but it can’t be much different.

Remember that if you decide to binge and burn bridges,
it is common courtesy to wait around and watch them fall.