Song For My 1990 Lover

And now in the sunshine
I sip a cool black Virgin Cola and wonder
Another summer without you

When 'Young, Free and Single' was my catchphrase
You found me on your way back from the bar
First a flirt and a photo session
Then a ride to the pantomime
Some time around the Superbowl
Cupid drew back that blasted bow
And we were hooked

I guess most of the time
I'm happy in moderation,
On cloud seven;
But sometimes I miss you
When I crack open a bottle of wine
I miss you when I'm walking
Across Waterloo Station
Heading home for the weekend
And lazing on a Sunday afternoon
Mulling over hairs in the Microwave
I miss your arm draped gently over me

The homely grey brick of the Grove
Is silent now
And in the Lord Henniker they don't seem to know your name
Yet I took the bus to Woolworth's
Like so many days before
And glanced across at the tower blocks
Still they overlook South Woodford
Like the three Grey Sisters
And then my stop arrived
But through that well-rehearsed process
Of drawing out another ten quid
Behind all this muddled up routine
Of clocking on and off every day
I can still see the twisting path
The notice board and the dinner hall queue
And your first floor room
Where once you lay with me

Send me postcards from Spain
As I thank you
For us parting friends
For a phone call from the family war zone
For the thought of you walking to work on a December morning
Your white top keeping out the cold;
They say 'mature love is even sweeter'
If you return
Why don't we see if that's true?
Take this poem for now
And keep smiling.