The Writers' Circle

The sky's adrip with cry-baby clouds dribbling;
rivers of streetlamp-painted streets
shush like waves on craggy shores.

Hush, please hush! There are barnacles sleeping!
Shush! Shush! Shush! There are shells listening!
There are children dreaming of buckets and boats!

Amidst the guttural glug and drip, drip, drip
of quackling drains and gutterings,
amber-lit a couple link fingertips -

Their hearts quop-quop like kettledrums steaming!
Squish! Squish! Squish! Like waltzing fish -
All's asquish like tears on a wink's eyelash!

Under a lamp the cheeky-cheeks cheek-to-cheek.
Is it puddle love? Squish! Squish! Squish!
On a lily of live they kiss, kiss, kiss like frogs adrift.

Surrey, 1992.