Daydream Of Yiska 1962 Poem by Terry Collett

I got home after school
after getting off
the school bus

after listening to Trevor's moans
about football about him(Benny)
seeing the bint
(Trevor's expression)
rather than playing
football lunchtime

Mum was cooking dinner
hot over a steaming stove
how was school?
she said

ok nothing new
I said

then Naomi talked to her
about school

and I went upstairs
to my room
and closed the door
and stood there gazing
around the room

the Spitfire hung
from the ceiling by string
pictures from the Eagle comic
were cello-taped to the walls
racing cars
I dreamed of driving one day

the window showed
sky and clouds and tree tops

I walked to my bed
and lay down

my brother Baruch
was out playing
in the woods

I opened up the book Kidnapped
and inside was the photo
of Yiska she'd given me
a few weeks back

I took it out and kissed it
and pretended she was there
and kissing me
as she had at recess at school
on the sports field

I held the photo against
my chest over my heart
to let her hear
how it beat for her

birds sang outside
the window
tree tops swayed
in the wind

I closed my eyes
and imagined her
there beside me
feeling her hand
(feeling my own hand)

running fingers
down her thigh
(my thigh my fingers
moved on)

then imagined her
holding me
(my hands embracing me)

I kissed her
and it was swell

then Baruch came
rushing in and said
saw this fox in the woods
and it stared at me
then ran off

Yiska had fled back
inside the space
inside my head.