Half Term In Wetherspoons Toy fish circle clicking against the glass, trapped in the tops of iced pints filled from the water siphons on the bar. It keeps the tiny ones amused so that restless feet
Half Term In Wetherspoons
Toy fish circle clicking against the glass,
trapped in the tops of iced pints
filled from the water siphons on the bar.
It keeps the tiny ones amused so that
restless feet don't wander in the life stained footsteps
of afternoon casualties.
You can see their outlines waiting for them
on the shadowed flags, sticky light catching where
fairy gold fell on the stagger.
Poppy is taken to the toilet by a designated adult
while little man Josh sits up straight in his best Nike gear,
struggling with a slab of gammon.
His maybe mother asks You're alright are you?
He nods, she hits the bar again
while Josh stares silently into the future.
She returns glass in hand relaxed,
salting Josh's plate, finishing his chips.
Louder now as she tells him to be quiet.
The menu never changes here,
this is how Britain does the cafe society.
Watering the wine at holiday time, until
eventually we learn to like it.
Barry Fentiman Hall
Barry Fentiman Hall is a writer based in the Medway region of Kent. His latest book England, My Dandelion Heart (Wordsmithery) was published in 2018. He is writer in residence for Rochester Riverside and editor of Confluence Magazine. He is currently curating a poetry trail for Dickens 150 in Medway.