It’s simple and natural

They folded up the table tennis tables.
The teenagers were wearing their only suits,
which were not quite black but near enough.
The leisure centre laid on a buffet.

They took the opportunity to drink
with conviction. In time, they were shouting
and putting their hands on each other.
Someone promised to help revive

his motorbike that was out in the rain,
in the same spot he had left it,
after it wouldn’t start,
on the morning before he shot himself.

Someone said they should restore the bike,
give it a re-spray or, at least, get it started
and stored under tarp. It always hated the rain,
someone said, as if this was relevant.

In death, gripes become facets. Oh he could
talk though, couldn’t he?
At one point, a man in white shorts
walked in, looking for the squash courts.

By the time it got dark, some of them
were groping on the stairs. He never liked much sport,
did he? Oh he liked some sport. He liked basketball.
They had brought out a table tennis table

and they were looking for bats and a ball.