You were eight stone
of pancake makeups
a love strained heart
going boom-crash

melancholy hung out
in your perfect smile
gutted bottles piled
around your table

and when you kissed me
it felt like a well meant nail
gun or a stiff pinball flipper

a friendships lust mixed up
our history with our future
like Benzedrine with honey.

JOHN G. HALL was founding editor of radical arts magazine Citizen32 & was a political activist in the 1980's. Published in 'Emergency Verse' and 'The Robin Hood Book' edited by Alan Morrison. Also in volumes 1,2 and 3 of 'Best of Manchester Poets' published by Puppywolf. His collection 'Poems for Explosion' is published by Crisis Chronicles Press Cleveland Ohio. His latest book 'Making the Dark Visible' is published by Some Roast Poets publications, Manchester UK. He currently runs the Manchester Beat poetry night 'Beatification'. For the past 10 years he has organised a writers retreat on the Island of Arran, Scotland. He has a degree in English Literature & Creative Writing from the University of Salford.