Entry tags:

Before Sherratt & Hughes Became Waterstone's by Sophie Hannah

 
Romantic entanglements often occur
In a pub or a railway station,
But being a writer I tend to prefer
A suitably bookish location.
 
I've never liked nightclubs, nor am I the sort
To go for a snog in the loos.
By far the most interesting place to cavort
Is the ground floor of Sherratt & Hughes.
 
I've seen a few customers looking dismayed,
Too British to voice their objection.
But how can I help it? I like to get laid
Just in front of the poetry section.
 
Most people prefer a luxurious setting -
A Mediterranean cruise,
But to my mind, the place most conducive to petting
Is the ground floor of Sherratt & Hughes.
 
All it takes is one glimpse of a gold-lettered spine
On those lovingly organised shelves
And a human encounter seems almost devine -
Not just sex, but a merging of selves.
 
I have never been someone who strictly adheres
To what's proper - I do as I choose.
(I go down very well with the male cashiers
On the ground floor of Sherratt & Hughes.)
Entry tags:

Sophie Hannah - Absence Makes the Heart Grow Henry

Ann was the love of Colin's life
Until the day he went to meet her.
Later she became his wife
But absence makes the heart grow Peter.

Jack was obsessed with Debby's writing.
Then one day he caught the train
And found the woman less exciting.
Absence makes the heart grow Jane.

I love you when you're not around.
If we come face to face again we
Stand to lose by being found,
For absence makes the heart grow Henry
Entry tags:

First Of The Last Chances

I stand back as the Skipton train advances,
having to choose too fast

between the scorn and sympathetic glances
of my supporting cast

all of whom think boarding this train enhances
my odds. I wave it past.

If I don’t take the first of the last chances
I will not fear the last.

Sophie Hannah
Entry tags:

Sophie Hannah, "Poem for a Valentine Card"

I hate soppy Valentine's Day poems, but this one made me grin a bit, particularly the last couple lines.

-----

You won't find any hints
Enclosed, no cryptic clues, no fingerprints,

Nothing about the gender,
Background or occupation of the sender.

Anonymous, unseen---
You're dealing with the all-time king or queen

Of undercover loves.
The author of this valentine wore gloves.