Orphaned Islands (Un)poetry

No one remembers now,
how expensive and temperamental infant PCs were,
especially printers
not unusual to take the laptop or floppy to
uni, school, work and print there
even then the perversity continued
hit print
and out came 50 pages
not just the warranty on page 1
no stopping
only one way, pull the plug, literally.

He was standing alone, a small kid amongst little kids
waiting for chance, or sympathy, or generosity to offer a turn –
nope.
They left the ball lying on the grass
I motioned to the bat and picked up the ball
he is delighted
something moved, wind, bird, and animal?
“Careful he’s fragile ” –
his mother
suddenly there, not quite in my face, but almost
saying she has to watch, constantly
right from the start
from the moment he was born she just knew ….
50 pages ….
……..no stopping.

Physical chemistry, interesting to some I guess
compulsory for the rest
regulations, thou shalt have
labs: tedious measure of arcane indices.
Thank God  Chris, classmate extraordinaire,
knew someone from a couple years ago
and
they weren’t imaginative enough to change the practicals.
Smug, complacent, self-congratulating non-learners.
One day –
“so, who’s got the book this week?”
Our secret – how does an old conformist like him know?
Sigh –
“ I was a student myself once
and the book
one was making the rounds when Archimedes was a freshman.”

Everybody has one –
a friend whose life planet tilted
more summer, less winter
promotion,
inheritance,
lottery luck –
rehearsal is over. Cinderella has the part – permanently.
Nothing will change,
they promise.
Footmen and maids welcome, always – never forgotten.

For Stephen the past was inconvenient
inconveniently downmarket
inconveniently inhabited by almost bohemians
not losers, but …..
station wanted to abandon – jettison.

Loyalty had disquiet
eviction too brutal.
Compromise has an idea
phone calls accepted : messages unreturned
the diary willing, but the pencil preemptive
for that day,
that week, 
that event.
It formed slowly – it took six months
after two years he sighed to an acquaintance, I never call him.