Outside

I went outside tonight,

and wasn’t supposed to.

I was supposed to be

locking the house

taking down decorations

cooking mealies,

But I leaned outside the door

and outside looked so full,

So I stepped into it.

It was turning dark out there,

My feet felt good in the pool.

I lay on concrete stones

Under the grey-blue 

and stretching behind the house

saw still white-streaked clouds.

The bats were out – 
swooping,

dipping for a drink. Behind

the roof two fir-trees have 

a bad haircut.

The trees around

must laugh;

We chopped off their heads

so they won’t fall on the house.

The yellow window lights

were in the pool,

The buzzing, tapping crickets

were just as loud as cars

and I smelt chlorine.

I lay outside, 5 minutes.

Then
I thought
I should go in;

The water would be boiling

the veggie shepherd’s pie, 
done,

the table needed setting.

There was a frog hopping by,

across the doorway, sneaking

to his place in the drainpipe.

“Mister Frog,” I warned,

You better not hop inside,

you better not croak all night.

I went outside tonight,

when I wasn’t supposed to

and it was beautiful.

I wanted to share it with you

But you aren’t here.