for Mike Blake
Standing in the supermarket
when a pop song
from the mid-eighties
plays over the aisle of canned goods
Memories of an old friend –
long gone – wash over me
Suddenly I find myself
holding back the tears
like the song says
Wondering, where did the years go
Standing there thinking,
“Don’t fucking cry now,
ya pussy”
Just keep holding on
(D. James)