117/2023

Her squint essential to his love.
Without that imperfection she
Would no longer have been beautiful
To him, no longer the person he
First glimpsed across the counter
When he was buying sweet pastries
To fill his voided life, leaning as she
Was over a Joan Didion book, and
The surprise of her confused eyes
Welcomed him as she looked up,
Shocked to have a customer.
They had awkwardly spoken, then,
Of words and love, exchanged
Billet doux of book recommendations.
The numbers and the dinners and
The kisses came much later,
Unexpected in middle age. Grey
Now, the both of them, but still
Holding hands, baking, and reading.

R 27/04/2023 13:51 outside Norwich forum

I posted a shorter version on mastodon. The prompt was actually quintessential, but I didn’t really dig that word.

Enjoyed being on Stephen Bumfrey’s show immensely. Listen here. Loved talking about Aggie and Expectation. And enjoyed having a hug with my friend, MrB. He’s a top bloke.