Yehudit In Town 1965 Poem by Terry Collett

I met Yehudit in town
in her lunch hour
off from work.

Mum's found out
you were in Richmond
the same time as me
she said.

Does she know
we met there?
I said.

No but I think
she suspects
Yehudit said
the way she
interrogated me
this morning.

But you denied it?
I said.

Yes of course
she said.

We went into a cafe
and had a drink
and sandwich
it was busy
the noise of chatter
around us.

Your mother told
my mum in passing
that you had been
to Richmond
and my mother
put two and two
together.

I sipped my tea.

Yehudit had lovely
brown eyes
innocent as a cow's
in the nicest sense.

My mother
said nothing
about it
I said.

What would she say
if she found out
we met there?
Yehudit said.

Not a lot
I suppose
I said.

My mother
would be down on me
like a pile of bricks
Yehudit said
she was spiteful enough
this morning
insinuating you
had a girl there.

She sipped
her coffee
and ate
her sandwich.

I sensed her thigh
near mine
the warmth of it
under the table.

I wanted to kiss her
and hug her
if I'd been able.