it’s a pretty cul-de-sac only five houses,
all different but sharing a central drive
each house peeling off it like banana skins
been here at number two for thirty years
never thought we’d stay this long
children all gone now like everyone else’s
a latter-day Hamelin without the piper
very quiet nice but we miss the noise
unless the grandchildren are round
we’ve seen a few dramas
Norma previously at number three
killed outright in a car crash
Derek literally falling through the front door
when he let us know, policeman in-tow
Jonathon at number five, locked up
for fucking a fourteen-year old
his son’s best friend
Barbara from number four
a big lady, collapsed in the porch
it took two of us to help paramedics
get her upright, dead two weeks later
and now Christine at number one
went in for a routine operation
never recovered from a massive
cardiac arrest, Peter bewildered
Joe still at number four, gets lonely
we take him treats
eighty-four really but only twenty-one
birthday on February 29th
Japanese couple in number three,
Nice couple, a bit inept
very quiet, even their kids
and us in number two
we’ll soon be the oldest
feel a bit like an endangered species
*
© Graham Sherwood
grahamrichardsherwood.co.uk 