Inside the store, a cornflower genius
smiled minted teeth, asked my name,

gripped my hand, told me everything
about megapixels and retina displays.

He pressed a grey circle, clicked –
a selfie of new best mates.

Sold on seven inches of bevelled chrome,
he turned, stuffed it in a plastic bag,

took my credit card, found someone new
I walked out to cement footpaths,

concrete buildings, tarmacadam roads,
a silent drive on the bus, staring down.

Simon Lewis is a former Hennessy poetry prize winner and his first collection, Jewtown, (Doire Press, 2016) was shortlisted for the prestigious Shine/Strong Award. His second collection will be published in 2019. You can read more at simonlewis.ie