Catherine Heath
June 2020
You were my sensei,
Teaching me to smoke weed,
Take MDMA,
And pay household bills.
I couldn’t cook,
And you showed me
How to defrost chicken
(It was horrible
When we found flies
In the broccoli).
We had such fun,
You and I––
Cavorting through first year,
Inhabiting Flat Three,
And complaining about Judas,
(In hindsight,
I think it was probably for the best
That she left).
Third year was a riot
When we lived in the mansion––
Though we always knew
When to leave a party––
And when the party was at ours
I always kicked people out.
Southampton University
Was our time.
You were my sensei,
Helping me understand
This maze we call life,
So I don’t fall in a hole,
Or drop my chicken nuggets
(As I nearly did that time).
Quad vods in Sobar,
Jesticles in Jesters––
We’d put anything down our throats,
As long as we were together––
And I always felt safe
With you,
So when you shouted at me,
I knew I should stop.
You are one of my very best friends;
We went on
Strange trips to Amsterdam,
Weed brownies on the coach
Scrambling our brains.
You lived in a house,
In first year,
So I came to your BBQs,
While you came to my halls,
And called me on the phone
When we had something to say
That couldn’t wait.
University daze;
It does amaze me
How I’ll always remember you––
You’re a good guy,
Through and through––
A corrupter of youth,
And saviour of girls
Who might have ended up too wild,
And in a loveless marriage,
Prison,
Or both.
You studied just enough
To pass,
Knowing when to call bullshit
On this raving madness
We call society,
Finding a good job
In the place you call home
(That’s the smart thing to do)
And if I’m scared of anything,
I’ll always ask you
To give me the plain
Unvarnished
Truth.
For Alex Mann
Photo by Adam Whitlock on Unsplash
