AS IF WE DIDN'T CARE.

A BOY AND GIRL IN 1950S LONDON AND A FATHER'S CRUELTY AND A FRIENDSHIP.

Enid's old man
passes me
in the Square

he gives me
the tough guy stare
trying to scare

I give a smirk
(the jerk)
look at his dark eyes
his stubble
then he's gone by
off to work
down the slope
out of sight

I look up
at the flats
a bag of bread rolls
in my hands
(my mother's shopping)

I wonder how
Enid was
whether her old
man had had
a go at her
had left
a fleshy medal
on her skin
blue green
sinking in

I walk up
the concrete stairs
passing by
the landings
until I saw Enid
on the top step
sitting there

what you doing here?
I ask

my dad threw me
out here
said I was not
to go back in
until my mother
called me in

why's that?

he said I'd been naughty
and had to wait
in the cold air
as punishment

I sat beside her
on the cold stair
when will your mother
call you in?

he said not
for twenty minutes
she says shivering

you can't sit
out here that long

I must

no way
come to our flat
and wait
then go out

I can't
what if mother calls
and I'm not there

will she tell him?

yes she's frightened of him
of course she will
Enid says

how long
to wait now?
I saw your old man
just go

twenty minutes
from now I guess

then come to our flat
for fifteen minutes
then we'll wait
on the stairs?

she closes her eyes
hugs herself
I can't
in case he finds out
she says

wait here
I say
and go in my flat
and give my mother
the bread rolls
and tell her

she butters two rolls
and puts in cheese
and I take them
out to Enid
on the stair
and we sit together
eating
as if we
didn't care.

Reviews

[simonedavlin]

Really enjoyed this, the occasional rhyme and simple stanzas juxtaposed the heavy content. It felt elemental and this reinforced the ease in which one should decide to help others. Loved that I felt as if the form correlated to meaning, especially liked the way the speaking parts weren't emphasized. very nice.

[Terry Collett]

Thank you, simon.