There’s lots of shops in Selly Oak
and I’m writing down their names
KwikSave
to show the wife when I get home
that I’m trying hard to change
New Look
I’m on the number 61 bus
after visiting a therapist
Barking Mad
I’m on the 61 bus because
I’ve got an Attention Deficit
Focus
I discovered it last Saturday –
well, my missus found it really
The Treasure Trove
when she came home unexpectedly
as I’m sat there watching TV
Homebase
I’d got horse-racing from Sandown
and James Brown on a CD
Sports Direct
Online Football with the sound down
and I’m reading Dostoyevsky
Busy Bodies
She wore the dress that she’d just bought
and her hair was cut and dyed
Posh Pets
when she asked me what I thought
I unthinkingly replied
Body Shop
that the Villa are still winning
James Brown’s the King of Soul Music
Top Banana
I’ve just lost in a photo-finish
and Raskolnikov has blew it
Selly Sausage
without bothering to glance up
as a frown replaced her smile
The Gun Barrels
I confess, I hold my hands up,
I didn’t praise her new hairstyle
Gaf Collection
She reckoned that I needed help,
counselling or a therapist,
Let’s Talk
says I’m in a world all by myself
and I’ve got an Attention Deficit
Bohemia
When I proclaimed my innocence
she exclaimed that’s just a symptom
Shapeshifters
of Oppositional Defiance.
I watched the 3.15 at Kempton.
People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals
But I went to see the therapist,
there were six of us – Group Therapy
Small World
and told them about my deficit
but the wife got all their sympathy
Get Stuffed Cafe
An intensive course of CBT
was the therapist’s suggestion;
Alternatives
how to focus on reality
and pay it full attention
Acropolis Now
Curbing selfish tendencies
would enhance my whole prognosis,
Forget Me Nots
then the others aired their grievances
but I didn’t take much notice
People
And so I’m writing down these notes,
while on the bus returning,
Specsavers
of all the shops in Selly Oak
I’ve passed by on my journey
Thomas Cook
to show her I’m cognisant of
the things that are important
Hallmark
like brand new dresses, shoes and tops
and the shops where she has bought ‘em
Fashion First
and as we’re coming to my stop
I feel relaxed and yet alert
Ali Baba Lebanese Coffee
but as I’m waiting to get off
my inner harmony’s disturbed
The Nail Bar
The driver of number 61
uses elbows for the steering
Mamma Mia!
and his hands to turn the pages of
the novel that he’s reading.
Omar Khayyam
All the way to town and back
he’s weaved a path by magic,
Persian Rug and Gift Centre
reading On The Road by Kerouac
without glancing at the traffic
Dotcomicide
I wrote my therapist’s address
on the back of the driver’s book
Little Shop of Favours
you’ve got Attention Deficit, I said,
take my seat in therapy group.
Costcutter
My need is not so great as yours;
you’re not safe to drive this bus
Juggling and Kite Shop
he opened automatic doors
without bothering to look up.
Next
Ray Miller is a Socialist, Aston Villa supporter, and a faithful husband. His life has been a disappointment.
Wanton Fuckery Poetry 