He got off his merchant ship one day, and decided that out of all the places
that he’d been,
Plymouth was where he wanted to end his travels.
Back then, he was made up of a leather jacket and a motorbike
Like my mum, though she had more sense, and, unlike him, was made up
of a helmet too.
He was made up of broken English,
Of wet clothes left in bin bags after being carted home from the launderettes.
Of single pieces of ham and cheese rolled up in their respective packets
And left on a counter, waiting for the fresh baguette that would join them daily.
Of Pepsi cans, and boiled eggs that blackened and burnt
And almost set his flat alight,
For he was built with forgetfulness too.
He was built with Vaseline back then as well,
The only thing that could tame his thick, coarse hair,
And I remember mum telling him off for that,
Because he kept leaving grease marks on her pillows.
Lily Abdo is a poet from Hull, England, and is currently an undergraduate studying English and Creative Writing. Her work reflects up close and personal views of experiences or thoughts that her poems are based upon, and typically includes themes of loss and love.
T: @APoetWithAPen | I: @a_poet_with_a_pen_
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