What if you’re the guy who’s supposed to discover
a hidden fruit on a far away island
containing a super vitamin that helps
human beings live for 200 years
but I make us late for the 93 bus
that would take us to the crumbling library
for a Saturday story time session
with a too jolly to be real 30-year-old poet
and you get bored of his obvious rhymes
so you slink off to shyly stare at the dusty
shelves of travel books and bump into a friendly
former geography teacher called Jean
who recommends reading the dark red one
that sparks a fire in you I never saw
all because I just couldn’t resist that extra
slice of raspberry jam on toast before we left.

© Carl Burkitt 2020