He came, he went
He conquered her that night
Before he took flight
Chauffeured from responsibility
Competitive child
Beneath a fertile, chestnut tree
Even when she tied his laces
He did not thank me
Swinging her best shot
He retold his bad jokes
Side by side on the pavement
Lost his phone heading home
His tail between their legs
She waved him farewell
Behind wound-up, tinted glass
Could not return from whence they came
The open sky would only cause more pain
So she took the high road
With the Laundrettes
The betting shops
With the Orthodox
Bought rollmops for her friend
As the klezmer band marched on
Took the coins, politely ran
Conviction in her hand
Like change, loose change
She hears that same refrain
Loosely changed
It lands, you leave
Regain, recede
Disbelief suspends the match
Fuels her every sense
He wills her bare nerves worn to the edge
Scores a bed-notch, pound of flesh
Yet swore to return
Bound in chains
We hear that same refrain