JANICE'S DRESS.

A BOY AND GIRL IN LONDON IN 1950S

Janice folds
her new dress
quite neatly
and lays it
in the drawer
and shuts it

school next week
she tells me
nice to have
new clothes then

guess it is
I reply
got new shirts
and a pair
of trousers
my mother
got for me
from The Cut

I could hear
Janice's
grandmother
working in
the kitchen
getting us
some dinner

I like that
lemon dress
that you wear
I tell her

why that one?

the colour
lights you up

Gran told me
it's too short
to wear now
Janice says

that's a shame
I liked it

I’ve got lime
with flowers
Gran got me

she shows me
the lime dress
which she holds
against her
what you think?

it's ok

just ok?

just ok
I liked your
lemon one

it's too short
Gran told me
what is wrong
with the lime?

the flowers
too sissy

too sissy?
I'm a girl
sissy’s good
Janice  says

she adjusts
her beret
the red one
she puts down
the lime dress
brushes it
hangs it up

I look out
the window
at a train
passing by
on the bridge

dinner time
her gran calls

the train's gone
Janice takes
the beret
off her head
her blonde hair
shoulder length
her blue eyes
watery

I like lime
she tells me

we go off
eat dinner
after grace
we eating
I watching
Janice's
sallow face.