Car Alarm

It's a long way down
to the corner shop
when you're small
and the world is forever.

There was that summer,
the first one on your own
since leaving home.
When anything seemed possible
and probable.

The first rainy day
you realised it was over,
stood in pools of wet light
that punctured the night
like a million needle holes.
When the wind drove
tiny nails into your smile
pinning it into place.

Some things are best left
on the list,
'Remember to forget'.
Pushed into dark corners,
ready to remind you,
one day,
Superman's not real
and the golden angel
of your dreams
is made of clay.

It's funny
the things you remember
on the way down
to the corner shop,
then you forget.

****

It was quiet
down our road today.
There was the sound of kids
acting out the latest film
or video game
and from the direction
of the tower block,
the one by the shops,
the distant sound
of a car alarm.