It was a winter’s night
Or was it early spring
Either way it was dark
As we came out of the restaurant
Just up the hill from the floodlit castle
It wasn't the first time
That you had rebuffed me
But on this particular occasion
You had taken me out for a romantic meal
To break the news of closure
Repeatedly you reminded me
Of my responsibilities to my family
Repeatedly I reminded you
That that stretch of my life was behind me
That, for my souls sake, I had had to move on
You did not want to pull close to me
Outside under the street light
You did not want me to hold you
Not closely, not intimately
Not in any sort of public declaration
But I hung on in there
And we talked, on our return drive
Five miles or more, along the coast road
You took me into your house, upstairs
Into your lounge, there to sleep on your floor
