To Be Missed 1974. Poem by Terry Collett

We'd been to
the Van Gogh
museum

and Dalya
said let's go
get coffee

so we did
and talked of
what we'd seen

the paintings
and the books
and the prints

there for sale
I've got a
large print of

Sunflowers
I told her
bought it last

year at some
small art shop
then she talked

about the
Yank woman
whom she shared

her tent with
back at base
all she talks

about is
whom she's fucked
and who she'd

nearly did
every night
the same thing

I am not
in the least
concerned

about her
sexual
life such as

it may be
all I want
is to sleep

but she yaks
in that drawl
on and on

Dalya said
and I guessed
I wasn't

on the list
of names the
Yank woman

talked about
wanting to
have sex with

which was good
because I
don't think that

Dalya would
have liked that
but Van Gogh's

Sunflowers
was liked by
both of us

even if
I wasn't
on the list

sometimes it's
just good not
to be named

and be missed.