I'm Man Enough by Paul Brookes

18 in 1980 week afore starting uni,

lads night out and your dressed

in Burton's bright yellow like a canary,

socks, shoes, shirt, jacket, because it's cool.

Lads boast they down 11/12 pints

of John Smiths bitter a night,

shag a lass then do same next night.

You've never done neither.

Follow lads round like fresh meat,

loud and brash, they talk of shagging

bints, fast cars, live bands you've

never seen coddled by your mam and dad.

Four pints in and your eyelids droop,

bitter makes you fall asleep, lasses

in short skirts with intentions nuzzle

up but loud music means you can't listen

to what they're saying and wouldn't know

what to say. Lads jostle you. We're off

to neet club. A tha cumming?.  I shout

an apology. Got to be in by 11.

They get off. I leave the pub, buy

a pizza and pissed walk home uphill

chomping on greasy slices, cardboard

box too big, one side of road to another.

Paul Brookes is a shop asst. His chapbooks include The Fabulous Invention Of Barnsley, (Dearne Community Arts, 1993). The Headpoke and Firewedding (Alien Buddha Press, 2017), A World Where and She Needs That Edge (Nixes Mate Press, 2017, 2018) The Spermbot Blues (OpPRESS, 2017), Forthcoming Stubborn Sod, (Alien Buddha Press, 2019), As Folk Over Yonder ( Afterworld Books, 2019). He edits The Wombwell Rainbow Interviews.