A Note to Visitors

If you knock on my door at midnight tonight, knock gently
and if I don’t come right away,
don’t wait out there on the doorstep in the rain;
come creep around the houses and peek
through all the windows you can find for signs of life.

Failing that, I’ve left the bedroom window cracked
so you can shimmy up the gutter pipe and wiggle your way in.
I’ve warned the neighbours not to be alarmed at your intrusion
so you can slip inside under cover of darkness —

now, I know
you’re still a little shaken up
after last time but this time,
I promise, they’re expecting you.

I want you to know,
I won’t hold a grudge if you scuff
up the frame on your way in.
in fact, I’ve been meaning to repaint that thing
for a while so, in a way,
you’d be doing me a favour if you did.

Promise me you’ll keep your shoes on
when you tread across the carpet down the stairs
and leave no chair or table undisturbed
and please feel free to raid the fridge and trash the kitchen.
You can cut up the coffee table, set a fire in the hearth.
And one last thing, before you go:

leave all the lights on
in every room —every bulb
in every lamp and every ceiling—
so I’ll know you came through
on your way to somewhere else

and although I missed you this evening,
I’ll be cleaning up the evidence
until you come again.

 I'm James and I'm a songwriter, author and playwright but I also enjoy writing poetry. I have a degree in Drama and Creative Writing, I write primarily for musical theatre and a fun fact about me is that I've lived in three different continents (Asia, Africa and Europe).