IV

Whale Watching

My mouth was a minefield then
My head ached
Half of me was still in bed
with the pillow wrapped around my face
I ate cornflakes and drank beer for dinner,
or nothing at all
I was a king alone at night
I was a mess

You came round to love me
and compare scars
It was the afternoon
and there were things I was supposed to
but didn't want to do

The brighest light I saw for days
was a chip shop window
No one would talk to me in the queue

You got up to leave
I made a half-arsed effort to move
But you lay me back down
and told me to sleep

I wish every sleep could be like that one

An exhausted stillness
that comes up like the sea
and sinks everything else

All in good health