like a damp tea towel from Majorca
we are ineffectual
a reminder of happier times
like salt
I only need a pinch of you
any more and my blood pressure rockets
like avocado
you can be insipid
will often spoil a meal
like Colchester
few people know much about us
except that we once mattered
like cricket
I’m slow
and few people fully understand me
like my new trainers
although you’re stylish enough
you cause me discomfort
like Wham bars
your memory of me in the old days
can never match up to today’s reality
like GWR
you’re just as unreliable
despite a recent makeover
like that brilliant chip shop we found in Harlech
I often fancy visiting you
even though you’re no good for me
Ben Banyard lives in Portishead, near Bristol, UK. He’s the author of a pamphlet, Communing (Indigo Dreams, 2016) and a full collection, We Are All Lucky (Indigo Dreams, 2018). He blogs and posts mixtapes at https://benbanyard.wordpress.com.
The Cabinet of Heed 