Graeme III (the final poem in the trilogy)

I promised the third part of the poëm trilogy on an old crush from the 1990s, named, well obviously, Graeme. Finally, I have enough energy coïnciding with sufficient cognitive clarity to be able to type a short blog-post. In later years, I saw him once more, but we did not meet. From what I can gather, he has a successful career and appears hale & hearty. 😊 

*

Graeme III

my social-worker friend

he’s gay

not as inhibited as myself

tells me

I do not know

what emotional baggage you carry

my most recently-found, close friend

she’s straight

and worldly wise

you’ve encountered her

tells me

not to contact you

not to debase myself

my second most long-standing friend

he’s straight

unconstrained

for ever horny

(around women)

tells me

go for it

you never know

My most long-established friend

he’s unsure

but if pressed

will assert his heterosexuality

(he’s the most repressed person I know)

tells me

… nothing

he just humphs

and changes the subject

I would like to be friends

I would prefer us to be lovers

(full-time relationship or occasional liaison)

I would settle for an amicable affinity

- is compromise a dirty word?

*

Whilst writing I have been listening to multiple versions of Olive’s “You’re Not Alone”, which invariably brings Graeme to mind. I doubt very much he even remembers our encounters, let alone knows of my existence. However, should he read this, I hope he reälises I wish him well.

Below is a link to another version of the music-video: