When the Dogs Bite: 13th September 2024

wakeful dog

wants early morning cuddles

sleep, interrupted

I sent you letters

carefully coded in offset letters

in case the Germans intercepted them

or maybe the Russians, but in the sixties

the Russians were still allies;

the war still celebrated on TV

and in theatrical blockbusters

and Russia was a magical place

full of orthodox Jews and communists

who held their leaders in great regard.

A tuppeny stamp would send my love

across the miles from Newcastle to Alvechurch

and I'd wait, eagerly,

for the clack of the letterbox

and the return two-page missive,

my address carefully spelled out

in block capital letters.

When the Dogs Bite