The Green Contagion

 

read by paul stevens

Lovesick? Perhaps. A greenish hue
Patinas my face, and my spirit too.
Hmmm... Love poems, written by the ream,
Hint so; my exercise regime,
Enhanced grooming, stylish dress,
Disconcerting skittishness,
Depression, interspersed with some
Moments of fond delirium,
Abstracted thought, bizarre day-dreams...
Do my restless eyes provide a clue
As this green contagion rages through
My works and days in hectic streams?
   Oh aye! —And the thousand things I do
   Merely to catch one glimpse of you.

Paul Stevens, formerly of Leeds and Harrogate, late of The Strand, has taken up permanent residence in the Seventeenth Century, where he may be found at the Mermaid Tavern, roistering intemperately and raucously declaiming verse from The Flea broadsheet.