It’s hard not to think about
how many hands touch
the tongs and spoons
at an all you can eat buffet.
Parties of germs reserving
a space on plastic handles.
Fingerprints left behind on ladles,
longing for a familiar set of unique
swirls to come and join them.

© Carl Burkitt 2020

When things get difficult
I think about the DJ who once said
Sorry, that brings us to the end of time.
I think about the headline
People Are Absolutely Disgusted
By Gordon Ramsey’s Gravy.
I think about the man I saw
eating a lasagne with a spoon.
I think about mispronounced sayings,
small cheek bones and
the first slice of lemon drizzle cake.

© Carl Burkitt 2020

I’ve never been good at wearing watches.
Despite being right-handed, I struggle
to wrap a strap around my left wrist.
So if I do wear a watch,
I wear it on my right wrist
and that never feels comfortable
when using a pen or throwing stuff.
False imprisonment is my biggest fear
and never knowing the correct time makes me
hope I never witness a crime.

© Carl Burkitt 2020

What if those moments you jolt yourself awake –
you know the times you think you’re falling
and find yourself crashing landing in bed,
the moments that feel like you pulled your guard up
to defend yourself from subconscious danger –
what if those moments are in fact the ghost
of a loved one shaking you awake?
A loved one keen to see your eyes again
or desperate to urge you to write down that
idea you just had before sleep steals it forever.

© Carl Burkitt 2020