EVENING WITHOUT STARS.

A BOY AND GIRL IN 1950S LONDON

Ingrid stands
this evening
of coldness

her small hands
in pockets
of her coat

I inside
Old Neptune's
fried fish shop
getting 2
bags of chips
6d each

is that all?
the man asks

yes that's all
unless you
have any
free crackling

not tonight
he tells me

I go out
with my chips
the bags warm
in my hands

here you are
here's your chips
I tell her

taking hands
out of her
blue rain coat
she takes hold
of her bag

nice and warm
she mutters
embracing
the chip bag

we stand there
fingering
the hot chips
into mouths

fanning our
mouths with hands
to cool down
the hot chips

buses pass
on the road
big red things
with people
gazing out

we walk up
the pavement
eating chips
with fingers

to the new
ABC
cinema
and gaze
at the billboards
photographs
of film stars

I could be
a film star
too one day
Ingrid says

her fingers
half way out
of her mouth
mild buck teeth
wild brown hair
and brown eyes

sure you could
I tell her

a film star
an actress
in big films
she dreams on

I eat chips
the warmness
swallowing
down my throat

bright dresses
and red shoes
she goes on

maybe kid
I tell her
you'll be that

but just now
you're a girl
eating chips
9 years old
just like me
full of dreams
full of hopes

yes guess so
she mutters
walking back
pass the shops
the bright lights
from windows
buses pass
big and red

she dreams of
big film parts
nice dresses
those red shoes

I think of
the Wild West
wild saloons
big shoot outs
with bad guys
guns smoking
Dodge City
red eye drinks
and sweet smokes

we walk home
down the dark
Meadow Row

our chips gone
fingers warm
but greasy

mine clutching
a silver
six shooter
at my side

she licking
her fingers
one by one
another night
going home
after chips
having fun.