They are cheersing
the birthday of a dead man.
He would have been 52 today.
He would be having
a chicken madras
and 4 cans of Stella
if he was ever old enough to drink.
I selfishly think of you
and don’t tell them
how happy I am
to know the memory of people
who die in your teenage years
never burns away.

© Carl Burkitt 2021