Sip Step Sip

On those nights, I'd leave the house,
pick up two cans from the offie,
put one in my pocket, open the other,
and walk the streets. Sip, sip,
the world becomes simpler. Sip sip
some more. Jacket collar turned up
against the wind and rain,
step step step, to the end of this street,
sip step sip into the next.
You can walk far, when you've
no destination in mind. Up
past Swanshurst Park, over Billesley Common,
right over to the Maypole ( sip, step, sip)
with the street lights coming on, one by one.

The first can's finished now, snap the second open; sipstepsip.
Back to King's Heath and down through Moseley,
past people heading into pubs,
walk on and down Anderton Park Road,
where the cars pull up
and the men ask "how much"? and I
pull my collar higher and
toss the empty can into a hedge and
cross Stoney Lane, up Esme and
through the passage behind the new houses
and open the door and
for that night at least
thwart despair.