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12th May, 2023

Friday Poem – ‘Valet’ by Dai George


This week’s Friday Poem is ‘Valet’ by Dai George from his collection Karaoke King.

Valet
I remember pleasure. He was
never the rake with a gaudy rose
poking from his buttonhole
but the silent, unassuming boy
who took my coat and let me pass
unencumbered to the many rooms
beyond his station. I looked for him today
in the clubhouse that he used to tend.
I searched in panic, door to door,
finding crews of plump and leisured men
who said, Pour yourself a drink and sit.
I tried. I stretched. But clad in wool
and weighed with it, I couldn’t reach
the shelf that held their stout carafes.
The card games and the laughter
all went on without me, and my coat
stayed buttoned to the top.
My arms were heavy. I was very hot.

Listen to the Karaoke King playlist, which pulls together songs that tie in with poems from Karaoke King, on Spotify.