
"It Was There" by John D Robinson
I had something earlier,
writing that would
(in my mind)
seize the reader and now
I’m fucked if I can
remember what it was
about:
it wasn’t about being
blown 3 times before an
11am church service
or swallowing magic
mushrooms 30 minutes
before going to work or
being drunk for 3 weeks:
it was a poem that would
would have stolen your
breath and hit you hard
in the gut:
fuck, I can’t remember,
you’ve had a lucky escape.
"I Had To" by John D Robinson
I heard him crying
one night, alone,
I crept downstairs
from my bedroom
into the lounge,
he wasn’t aware of
my presence:
I crouched down
and watched my
father weep, drunk,
confused and
fucked-up:
for several minutes
I remained silent
and then I
returned to my
bedroom and wept,
I didn’t know why
except that
I had to.