A Cat With A Tale

Three thirty on a sick summer's day
I round myself staring at a Newcastle bus stop
A total stranger in a herringbone suit
Asked me the time through his cigarette lighter
Fifteen years later on a Wednesday night
l round myself dreaming in a Manchester night-club
A total stranger in a luminous tracksuit
Gives me a kiss and he tastes of aluminium
Then he's gone
And in his place a cat with green eyes
A cat with no tall at all
Just a very sad expression on his race
Mandarin quotes on a wrought iron gate
I'm ringing the doorbell, but the petrol keeps leaking
A total stranger in a cashmere coat
Tells me politely, "Your wife is on fire"
A family outing at the Gosforth Park Hotel
The girl in the kitchen is working a job scheme
l told my wife I'm sure I've seen her before
She told me I kissed her al a Newcastle bus stop
Then I was gone
And in my place a cat with green eyes
A cat with a tale to tell