on theft

sneak-thief, cheap skate
what have you gained from it
bar fear of getting caught
for some pathetic reward?

you have keys to doors
without addresses
but I found my phone
on waste ground

you could not crack the code
to the phone
or life
thankfully
you stayed locked out of mine

it was lying face up
on the old school site
where seeds of buddleia davida
thistles and grasses thrive

I easily scaled the fence
later found the battered fridge
laid side on
you have to use as a step
to get your lop-sided body inside
the old playground
I looked around
saw the detritus of wasted youth

is the yard a haven for you now
as it was when you ran out the door to play
twenty or more years ago
when released
from maths and English?

were lessons too much for you
just as the message
‘Find My Phone activated’
proved to be today

you’ve been fined
you’ve done time
what comes next?

I know who you are
I have been told your name
I have read accounts of your petty failings
there’s no escape online

you are the man with the keys
to my doors
but I know you live in fear
of getting another knock
from the law

~

n.b. Yes, my bag was stolen, but I retrieved my phone from wasteland, with help from a kind citizen. All I have lost are keys, a bicycle lock and a book that I was going to read on my break.