When the Dogs Bite: 22nd August 2024

night walk

with the wind in the trees

imagined salt

walking past a house

where I know the resident lady

who knows everyone in the street.

Do I want to say hello,

and risk being given all the gossip about the neighbours

I really don't need to know,

or should I cross the road and hurry past,

hoping she doesn't see the snub?

I don't need to know why number 82 is for sale

or if 75 is still in hospital;

why the kids at 93 race unlit motorcycles at 2AM

or if 52 is haunted by the memory

of the husband's suicide.

I wonder what the gossip is about me

but I know she'll never tell.

When the Dogs Bite