Syphilis Street

After the supermarket
we left the edge of the park
and headed up the hill

Our bags were full
and heavy
polythene stretching with the weight
of cartons,
courgettes, wine, blue cheese
beers, beans, bread,
and raw hams

at the end of the boulevard
we turned left
not right

not knowing

we found things
when we turned left
wet things

scaling the hill
a slow but steady flow
of tissues and condoms
littered the broken concrete

our sandal clad toes
treaded carefully between
old stains and busted latex

at first
it was funny
maybe a 'Napoletani' dogging spot

but
fifteen minutes later
the sporadic splutter of spunk wreckage
became a spate
of sewage

we played hopscotch
in the human slop

then the cars appeared

three of them
the first silver
and inconspicuous enough

as we passed
we saw sheets shut in the window
like a kids den curtains

the second was black
smaller
and slightly rocking

“look at it rocking!” we exclaimed
and the rocking slowed

we didn’t feel bad though
about putting them off their stroke
after all
it was 5:30 in the afternoon
on a hot summers day
and we just wanted a bus stop
to rest our legs and luggage