David's birthday cake
Published
Topic
People
Forty years since we met
Too long to recall the particulars of all that time…
The bakery was shut
Handwritten notice sellotaped on the door
"Sorry, we closed early
Because of the bad weather"
The snow was thick and the ploughs had heaped it along the edge
Of the roads, thigh high;
Thank goodness we had borrowed
Nordic walking sticks: tap tap ahead
To measure the depth
Before we took a step
So no birthday cake today
(And we'd asked for the bakers to write
"Happy Birthday Granddad")
But tomorrow will do as well.