i.
the first time she heard me
i was already three pints in
at max volume
i found out she’d giggled
in hindsight
which set the tone
me always loud
her speaking in silence
no subtitles
only making sense
to each other
three months after
ii.
i thought he was hot
even without the beer
and the prosecco
and the whisky
but then in the middle
i looked down and
he said my name
in a voice that
made my stomach
grow in on itself
so as soon as
he was done
i got the nightbus
even though it was
5.30 in the morning
iii.
she told me
if i said another word
she’d make me regret it
i blinked
and dared her
with my smirk instead
iv.
apparently my voice
made him wince
vowels so loose
he drowned in them
so he shipped me off
to the accent factory
swapped out my dark ells
did his juty so i didn’t
tawk funny enny maw
v.
our bodies had already spoken
before we did
i wondered about
the pitch
the accent
how his mouth would move
with words inside it
teasing consonants
between his teeth and lips
his voice wasn’t as deep
as i expected
he laughed when i said hello
because he thought
i sounded like
a radio 4 presenter
Written by Maddie Jones
