1978 ish Waiting For the Bell – After Carol Anne Duffy

‘Mama just killed a man’ No mum! Daddy with a lipstick
In the kitchen; Ha, ha. We sang it walking home-
The world was ours. The girl with curly hair
Didn’t need no home-perm, rain did mine fine.
Murder for flicks, but it wasn’t the flick kind

No - we weren’t cool. Fridges were. Bumming
late-night scraps and newspaper vinegar kisses
Practice in mirrors just in case Danny’s got you
’Stranded at the drive- in’ Or that James
down the street - got his mate to ask you.

The square route of the hypotenuse-might have been
The route to youth club - it wasn’t so, I didn’t get maths
He’s looking at me, Miss, A-hundred-and-fiv
Twenty-five minutes to-the-bell-Miss, Drone-on
‘Tell me why I hate Mondays’ and Tuesdays and days

Night hisses out dreams on new silver transistor
Long nails with glitter - spilt some on the stereo
Doing the hand jive just like ‘Grease Lightning’
Hell mum! It was old anyway. I wonder, did
you ever fumble?In the dark? Did he ‘Give you
fever’?‘Romeo loved Juliet’ at the back of the church?

Look when you’re really old. Like thirty-five. Can’t
remember love - don’t do sex, I bet. Disgusting
With dad? What? Not just the twice then? Gin and tonic
please, and a cigarette. I’m telling you I’m never
getting old, or having kids Top of the pops is top

Fifty with the old man Jimmy the cigar. Mum
hates him for pretending to be young, it’s a criminal
offence. Like “‘her at the end wearing that skirt, like
some bit of a kid” ‘Et tu Bruti’, couldn’t spell
either so didn’t get nuffing sept, a trip to the head

'Ground control to major Tom’
‘Brown Girl in the Ring la di la di da’
Steve Williams now you’re talking.
Hey I ain’t no ‘sugar in a plum’ boy!