He’s talking about his midlife crisis –
surfboards, tight T-shirts,
writing romance novels
through the eyes of anyone
who has ever looked at him,
cooking curries from scratch,
giving up pants, wearing Crocs
unironically, giving up walking
through the park with a group
of friends feeling utterly alone,
calling strangers chief of guv,
– and how he can’t wait for it to arrive.

Carl Burkitt 2023