Look what I stole for us, darling

A five minute commute (for you)

A non-backed out of school-night gig  (for us)

One day of her as a new-born (don’t look at me like that)

A really high fence for the back garden (for them next door)

An impulse hover over the match ticket purchase button. Go on! press the damn thing.

Life insurance. Oh no, wait, you bought us that last week. Sorry.

Former colleagues. Hey, back off, those are mine.

500 tea-spoons. Only messin’. Eh calm down, I’m sure I can get some next time.

What do you think it looks like? That dime bar dessert from ten years ago you mentioned.

*holds up hanger to chin*  For respectability in the workplace. What do you think? It’s probably too small.

A stash of ready-made semi-colons to insert wherever you like.

*reads back of packaging* Oh yeah, I forgot about this – a matching shame-gland to go with the work gear.

Two-for-one confidence supplements. We’re not supposed to use heavy machinery or drive for at least four hours after taking these.

Eternal spotlessness of the box-set mind. It looks more like a tanning machine to me. Still, if it means experiencing The Sopranos from scratch, who cares, eh?

People before prophet

rally

Socialists Worked in solidarity with

Queen’s in communion with

Green Partiers flanked by Kerry

Pro-Choicers who marched alongside

Belfast Feminists who banged to the beat of

hearts of Anarchists who roared over

soaring voices of Parents chanting

‘Hey, Hey, Mister, Mister,

Get your laws off our sister’

Belfast, Saturday 2nd July 2016

belfast 3

Decisions, decisions

book of questions

Question 1:

“For a person you loved deeply, would you be willing to move to a distant country knowing there would be little chance of seeing your friends or family again?”

Hmmm

How far is distant?

Can you define ‘country’?

Is there broadband access?

Is the country isolated or just shy?

Immediate family?

What about acquaintances who think we’re friends?

Do they have cheese in this place?

Is that considered cheese?

A sizeable Enya fanbase?

Are you certain?

Does everything shut down at 6?

Will I be able to get a job in a place where everyone follows up an agreed meeting date with at least two check-ins to make sure it’s still going ahead?

Equality of access of wind and rain?

Does it have a running festival?

Can you double-check?

Does respectability mean being a teacher/priest/obituary announcer on local radio and/or holding the hand of a person for an excruciatingly long time after they’re initially introduced?

Does it have at least two local rival GAA teams?

Two international soccer teams who wear the same colour?

A sizeable fan base for two opposing teams in a third, independent, country?

Higher than average consumption of anti-depressants?

I’m not saying yes or no, but I might consider it.

*******

What about you? Take it away there like good dot comrades…