At
Lambretta's
She once had
a scooter
like that shiny red one above the bar,
a 1958, 175 cc's
she rode full throttle across Europe.
That
year was the first time she ate rabbit,
horse meat
and deep fried sparrows
which
didn't agree.
The first time she saw a bidet—
no
idea what it was for.
The Venezuelan she met
piggy-backed on her Lambretta to Geneva
where they slept in one bed to save money. The first time
she spent a night in the casbah in Tangiers
her Spanish boyfriend rolled up his sleeves
to defend the honour she didn't know she'd lost.
Tonight in the restaurant she and her husband
watch the parade of youngsters:
spikey hair dyed orange and blue,
rings in bellybuttons, tongues,
God knows where.
They order their
usual Sav Blanc
and diet coke, ask the waiter
to turn down the music please.
