Cheers
Warming glow spills across damp pavement,
burps of laugher escape into the night.
It’s warm in there and everyone belongs.
I have belonged in several:
The one by the sea, where the dog knew the way
Those where every night brought possibility –
endless evenings, life-changing encounters
The tropical bar teetering above a lagoon
And the place where I mistook
friendliness for something darker.
The city inn written into detective novels,
resident bums on bar stools.
Turned out for quiz night glory,
brains wracked, facts flown.
I was wrong when I thought I’d outgrown the pub –
it wasn’t last orders
