We lay together

We lay together

Entwined

Beneath the naked sky

Sharing constellations

A smelly afghan coat

Slowly drying from a downpour

Loosely wrapped around us

We were both sticky with sweat.

A bunch of us,

Desperadoes, Muso’s

Guitar cases

Drumsticks

And audition tapes,

Had been waiting

All night

Watching the wreckage go by.

Cold white faces

Staring out

From cars and vans

We shouted up at the lorry drivers

They spat

Long brown spittle

Laced with beer and tobacco

Dragon’s breath.

The roads were busy

With sardine suckers

Tin can wannabes

Blowing raspberries

At our thumbs

Middle fingers

Raised high.

The waiting was long

Twenty hitchers strong.

I never knew her name

She didn’t ask for mine

But she was warm

And we needed the distraction.

There was some satisfaction

As we stood next in line

The last kiss

Long and slow

Broke off just

Before she turned to go

“Another time.”

She whispered

“Sure thing.”

I replied

We were good together

For the time it took

Twenty hours, give or take.

Some people have longer

But many leave

Without walking away.

The shadows were long

The sky was high

We were too young for regret

Old enough to know better

Than to make promises we couldn’t keep

It was a time of moments

I guess it always is.