The Law of the Playground
We’ve all done it: crossed our hearts,
hoped to die, and asked for needles
in our eyes if what we were saying
turned out to be a pack of lies.
And here you are, standing
in the dock accused of arson:
fingerprints on a jerry-can,
a book of matches,
your hair scorched, cindered,
smelling like a burnt rubber tyre.
But most damning of all,
your pants on fire.
Siegfried Baber has work has featured in various publications including Monkey Kettle magazine, Ink Sweat & Tears and Headspace, the Bath Spa University graduate anthology. He is currently working on Brothers in Arms, a collection of letters written due to be published in Autumn 2014.