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Two Poems by Gary Lewis

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Staring at a window

Staring at a window
While I'm sitting all alone,
Repeats are on the telly
and my hand is on the phone,
I've got my finger on the dial
And trepidation on my mind
I finally thumb the number
And in disbelief I find
You've gone!

The silent seconds seem like minutes
The minutes seem like days
As in my mind I rehearse the lines
I want to hear you say
But after half a lifetime
I realise you took me for a ride
So I grab a can of beer
And fall apart inside
My mind!

My memory starts to wonder
To the games we used to play
And I begin to question what made you go away
So I punch the wall with fury
And have another drink
As alone I'm left to ponder
Alone I'm left to think
Was it me?

King of Fools

In dreams of King and Country
Chuck wanders through his memory,
Taking down particulars
From men who speak bureaucracy.
Writing on the backs of boys
He tattoos charters and bends the rules
Knowing that his frightened subject
Will all appease the King of Fools.