Lost in the subway; wandering in circles ever wider,
Upon, above, below the busy roads,
Later the night bus disgorges its solitary rider
Who treks home past a myriad abodes.
Key in the door at 5.30a.m, then sitting thinking
About the things he did the day just gone.
Scratching a hasty meal, and in the semi-darkness drinking
An ice-cold cold; watching the lights come on.
Museums on the morrow, then the Sout side of the river,
Then back to Soho and the wild West End,
The City Kid turns off the light, and with a sudden shiver
Climbs into bed till half past nine or ten.
A family of one, so what, who needs a wife or lover?
No one to crowd him or to bar his way.
The Smoke is both his undemanding mistress and his mother,
And all he wants this week long holiday.
**********
magazing five was published in February 1986; editor and publisher Chris Mitchell included Futility, City Kid, The Gambler and Creep – in that order – in this A5 format publication. Shortly, Jenny Chaplin of Writers’ Rostrum published City Kid and The Gambler in A Purpose Strong And Bright, and later in the year I published Creep and Futility in We’re Coming For Your Telecom Shares. The first link below leads to a PDF scan of the original. It includes the front cover, inside front cover (contents page) and all four poems. The pages of this publication are unnumbered.
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