parked in mcdonalds
not that far from kettering
grey skies past lunchtime

while regrettable
the slightest of impacts twixt
our buffeted doors

as crouching I fixed
child seatbelts while you and your
partner poured fast food

into the gaping
maw of your vacuous souls
it is as well that

having decided
to say fuck off in front of
my children in spite

of there being no
damage except perhaps to
the pride of your grey

volvo-shaped estate
compensation for perhaps
being ginger or

quite under-endowed
or perhaps you have also
suffered like many

the slings and arrows
this year, or the rain, or some
other slight, perhaps

even terrible
haiku sequences; no doubt
especially when

they don’t bother to
include stuff about nature
after verse four; but

it is as well that
having decided to make
this your big issue

this far and no more
your great volvo rubicon
mcdonalds carpark

“fuck off,” three year old?
it is as well for you that
my children were there

borderline angry,
so “have a nice day”, I said
we drove off laughing

you hooted as you
overtook me at ninety
back down the A1

having a nice day
(later it occurred to me
eating in your car

even happy meals
run the risk of leaving a
chip on your shoulder)