Pints

A competitive dad out-skims the stones of his sons
and his latest throw goes 'TING!' on a
green-hatted groyne marker out to sea,
to the shrieked delight of the children.
A split in the sky reveals a hot bright sun that warms us instantly, melting our mood.
We needed a walk today,
too many inside thoughts.
The sea glitters like a ridiculous jewel, absurdly upbeat against the day,
and it makes me crave a pint.
I want to go into a pub and order a beer
that sweats and slops all the way to an outside table. Perhaps a packet of peanuts too.
In a moment of clarity you remember that
a local restaurant is doing takeaway pints,
inventive in lockdown.
You bring them home,
your face radiant,
and the two pints gleam with a
borderline erotic sheen of condensation.
We take gulps of the icy beer.
Lockdown highlight, I stab into my instagram stories,
showboating the booze. Friends reply instantly asking
"Where did you get those??"