WAR GAMES

The aircraft carrier moves across the squares -
with water swirling out behind,
stops midstream and waits.

Satellites watch over the Ark Royal,
can show precisely where it is.
You don’t know.

Your submarine moves up to F4.
The voices of the world speak through its radio.
I can’t hear them.

My battleship’s a blip, it’s dipped
below your radar.

*

We drive for miles, not knowing where we are -
someone on the furthest star
could find the answer.

*

You’re overlooking Cardigan Bay.
You phone to say you’re lost,
somewhere on the coastal path.
With every landmark you mention,
I follow you on the map,
know better where you are than you do.

*

I try to pinpoint your position
on the John Speede map on my wall,
wonder what you make of the two-dimensional hills,
the sea-monster with two spouts,
what it’s like, walking inside
the imagination of the mapmaker.

Watch out! Tudor battleships, bigger than Aberystwyth,
are crowding round the coast.

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