Joshua Judson

there’s lads 

on my road 

look at me 

like they wanna eat me

all huddled round 

the open bonnet of a car

lads who might’ve been called trouble 

more than their actual names in school

but what do I know 

other than the definite feeling 

of eyes pressed hard 

against my back

and the sky is the same overripe colour 

of the figs on offer in Lidl

and I’m biting my lip 

for something to do with my mouth 

in front of the baked goods

and I fill my little tote bag 

and I think my little thoughts 

and by the time I round the corner 

they’ve gone

is a poet from Nottingham. He's a member of the Barbican Young Poets community. His work has appeared in such publications as The North, Magma, Brittle Star, The Rialto, The White Review, and Butcher’s Dog. His debut pamphlet Gongoozler is available from Bad Betty Press.