Out With Jenny 1956.

Jenny met me 

at the end of Bath Terrace. 

We were going 

to the Imperial War Museum 

in Bedlam park 

to see the stuff 

they had in there 

and the part of an airplane 

you could go inside 

and sit and watch 

a short film about dogfights. 

She was later than we said. 

I thought maybe her gran 

had changed her mind 

about Jenny going, 

but I saw her coming 

along hurriedly. 

Sorry I got caught 

by a neighbour of Gran’s 

who kept me talking, 

Jenny said. 

I smiled. 

We walked along 

Rockingham Street 

and under the railway bridge 

and down the road 

behind the cinema 

and walked past 

the bomb site there. 

Your gran didn’t mind 

you coming with me? 

I said. 

No, she was ok about it, 

Jenny said, 

I had to go to the shops 

first though. 

We came out 

on the New Kent Road 

and went down the subway. 

She talked of her new canary, 

which her gran bought, 

after the budgie died. 

The budgie was quite a talker 

and I would talk with him 

when I visited Jenny’s gran’s flat. 

Jenny talked almost nonstop. 

I listened to her, 

but was thinking of going 

to the cinema 

with my old man 

that night to go see 

a western film, 

and chips afterwards, 

and about the new toy gun 

I had bought with pocket money 

I was given. 

We came out 

on St George’s Road 

and walked along 

towards the museum, 

and still Jenny was talking 

about something or other. 

She talked more than 

the next door neighbor 

who talked with my mother.