He walks into the pub and tells me
it’s good to see me
Because when I told you my wife had been dead
for five years, I actually meant nine years.
Time is a slippery bugger when there’s no-one
next to you on the sofa.
I ask if he’d like to join me
but he declines.
He finds his was to a table for one
and shouts the clues to the crossword
to my booth.

© Carl Burkitt 2023