She doesn’t believe in dinosaurs.
She whacks another cod
in the deep fat fryer and tells her colleague
through a knuckle of chewing gum
that bones the size of a T-Rex’s leg have no business
walking about. She talks about dead liars,
how she only believes in what she can hold.
Her colleague pours vinegar
on an extra large portion of chips and says
if you can’t believe in the past
why invest yourself in the future. He tells me
they’ve sold out of Coke Zero, hands me my dinner,
tells me to come again soon.

© Carl Burkitt 2023