I grew up between two rivers
In the west it was all twangy guitars and old secondhand books
In the east, neat lawns and modern furniture

Somewhere in the middle
Was a seventies furnished in the fifties
A MkIII Cortina
A pathway from the door to the chair
Worn into the nylon carpet with a rubber backing

Dark pubs filled with smoke and stale beer
Evaporated milk, not cream