
Peter Milner
Flying (one more stupid dream)
‘Look, I can fly!’
I announced
perfectly certain
to a room full of people—
I was standing on a chair
then launching myself
and swimming
swimming through the air
but even as I propelled my body
across the room
avoiding furniture
and knots of people
it was clear
I was losing height
Nevertheless, I made it
quite a long way . . .
came down in a corner
stood up
turned around for applause
but no one was watching
they were still talking
one to the other
my feat had been
ignored
I found my wife
on the phone
she was saying,
“Why don't you come over.”
which they did
Kate and Fran
bringing with them
a black mouse and a golden hamster
which was typical of them
mad keen on pets
of one sort or another
but these they were carrying
in a cardboard sandwich wrapper
I thought
Well, I don’t care if
they do escape
I was still sulking from
being unappreciated
but somehow,
while my wife
took the others
for a look around
the gar-den
I was left in charge
and of course
those rodents
did get out—
I told my wife when
she came back in,
she said, “Well, I can see
the hamster from here.”
And there it was
burrowing into the carpet
by the fireguard
I went to get it
worried it might bite me
but I couldn’t grasp it anyway
it was burrowing too fast
The other people
came back into the room
saying shouldn’t I go home
before the Tube stopped running . . .
I was unaware the Tube
came out as far as Pill
in North Somerset
Then I thought,
but I’m already home!
They’re the ones to go home!
. . .
but I didn’t want to argue
. . .
so, I woke up.
