incremental to my college days
alternative to the copperfield boys
motorbike helmets
drunken fists
you offered another way to live

i wasn’t for fighting
standing tough
smirking over mammary glands
around the streets of Cheltenham
where I studied religion and lived.

i saw you
“The Smiths” at the Apollo
bought a ticket
caught the bus
sat next to siouxsie’s aspiring twin
never spoke
made no fuss

contradicting my christian tutor
shyness was nice
it was no sin
something to celebrate
extroversion should not always win

made me miserable?
my heart skipped as you sang your lines
helped me challenge stereotypes
changing perspectives on life.

copyright a “ashyvicar”.