I Can't See Nobody

I

I am 21, back in a tiny first-floor shared flat

before Brighton became a place to be

looking out from a Tidy Street window

over to Theobald House tower block

Galaxie 500 singing 'When Will You Come Home?'

and I'm longing for anyone to take me into their arms

II

all these years later I’m sitting with you in Mozaga

you are playing vinyl once again, drinking a martini

Nina Simone is singing 'I Can't See Nobody' 

and it does something to my eyes every time -

it's a song that always undoes me a little

III

now I’m with my mother on a fleeting visit

we're doing a crossword together and the late sun comes out

shines across the park homes now - these park homes in Warsash

from the corner of my eye, I catch her looking sad

and when I ask mum if she's OK, she shrugs