Swansea Central Police Station, 2014 by Chris Campbell

The bricks are your sunset, 

tiles a fine tapestry. 

Here’s the five-star service,

no tip needed, no queues

or fear of getting lost.

The clang of the hatch, 

a cup of black tea.

Howls greet the thuds of doors. 

How lucky you are to rest 

in this cell, dual locks.

Your own bog. You’re stripped 

of shoes for safety.

You’ve been searched in every cavity.

The guard spits at your defiance. 

The past occupants were artists, 

their snot grasps walls like a confession.

Just you in this disinfectant den

with your empty drink, comrades’ roars.

______________

Chris Campbell lives in Oxford. His second full collection, ‘Why I Wear My Past to Work’, is published by Parlyaree Press (2025). His mini pamphlet is due from Atomic Bohemian in 2026. His poems are in publications including The Rialto, Magma, Prole, The Waxed Lemon and Sídhe Press. Chris was Highly Commended in the 2024 Cobh International Poetry Competition and shortlisted for Canterbury Poet of the Year 2023.