Speaking In Circles - Ian Lilburne

An angry man in John Lewis’
Berating the service manager
About the dearth of British goods

A ranting patriot
He spoke in circles
Smaller and angrier
Then
Accusing the manager of indifference
Stormed off
Before she could answer

He looked normal enough
Neatly dressed
Neat hair
But as I think of it
Too neat
Like an overgrown schoolboy
On day leave

A giant teddy bear of a guy
At the Royal Academy
In a gallery of abstracts
Pleading
Desperately
With two bewildered women

Distraught
He spoke in circles
Ensnaring them
As they tried to edge away

‘Are there any portraits?
I like pictures of faces.
Can you show me where they are?
I like looking at the faces’

Quietly
I turned
As from a difficult painting