Constellation prize

When I was a kid

Selwyn Toogood used to travel
New Zealand bringing his show
'It's in the Bag'
to small towns like the one I grew up in.


There was a big prize
usually a trip to Honolulu
which sounded so foreign,
exotic and glamorous.


Even now I am thrilled
to imagine Honolulu
from the perspective of
my landlocked childhood self.


The constellation prizes
were a consolation
for missing out on
The Big One


glamorous whiteware
labour saving devices
of every description
in those giddy post postwar times.

This constellation prize I bought myself
a reward for enduring
the coldest tiny movie theatre
watching a French film

Romain Duris did not keep me warm
but these antique glass earrings
warmed my spirit.