UPON MEETING AN EDITOR by Bryn Fortey

I only met Kyril Bonfiglioli once
Just as he gave up
Editing SF IMPULSE
A UK magazine

I was in the area visiting relations
And thought a personal call
Might boost my chances
Of one day selling him a story

His wife was in France
He told me
Explaining his unshaven appearance
And being dressed in pyjama and dressing gown

While he wrote down
The new editor’s address
We drank gin
From large brandy glasses

Bon was an entertaining host
And an interesting man
So conversation flowed
As easily and readily as the gin

When it was finally time for me to leave
He stood then flopped back onto his chair
While offering me a lift
Which even through my drunken haze I declined.

Out I strode
Into the sunny Oxford afternoon
Trying hard to place one foot in front of the other
In as straight a line as possible

I managed to make the centre of the road

Before I stopped the traffic

Beep beep went the horns as I staggered away

Later I fell into my cousin’s house

And my wife didn’t speak to me for over a week

Bryn Fortey is a veteran writer from Wales in the UK. Widely published

over the years, he has had two collections published by The Alchemy 

Press, both featuring a mix of short stories and poetry. He is grateful that

in old age he is still able to put pen to paper and finger to keyboard.