The sun was bright
Gates open wide
And Esther was the one

I danced - you walked
I listened while you talked
It was not me who cried

You took the blame
And name in vain
I loved the way you lied

We kissed the kiss
And then you missed
That tiny fleeting smile

Your dress so white
Eyes shut so wide
The closure has begun

Polish roulette
The stage was set
For mischief to be done

You played for keeps
Full deck of tricks
You came in for the kill

Your smile so sweet
Taste of your tears
Your love so just-like-real

Your words - my ears
My hands - you near
Eleven hours straight

Full deck of tricks
Taste of your tears
Dame Mary’s school of fate

Your breath, your lips
The game “you have one wish”
The turning of the wheel

You took the cab
And then I laughed
With ghouls of Primrose Hill

Another day
Another dance
The river bank

Another deck
Another ace
Geometry of chance

We kissed the kiss
And then you missed
That tiny careful gaze

You took the blame
And name in vain
I loved how you betrayed

So frail, so week
So giving in
To all the things you fear

“Few special ones
Get second chance
Nobody gets the third”

The train arrived
You took the ride
Snake whispered in your ear

The blind man cried
That fateful night
The serpent trained you well

The morning came
That fateful day
What happened I’m not sure

But in the end
The one to blame
Is she who swung the sword

Another kiss
Another train
Another fateful night

Just as I planned
But in the end
I hated being right

Predictable
Despicable
Dame Mary’s school of hate

The lesson learned:
That still can burn
What you anticipate

Despicable
Repeatable
Another dance with fate

Foreseen and planned -
It still can burn
There months of life away

The closure closed
The curtain call
The jester’s time to bow

Not with a whimper
With a cliche
It is now how it dies

The stage goes dark
Wound leaves a mark
To ask nobody cares

The jester shares
His scripted tears
With ghosts of Regent’s Park

Belsize Park, 25 May 2020