The town by night
packed full of girls on stilts
of mouse-soft suede
or shiny-shiny leather
higher than mountains
high as the sky.
Studs and buckles
hold the clue:
these steep shoes are weapons
in the longest-running war.
Fake-tanned legs
swing glossy-long,
gold-burnished hair
shines straight
as any Bronze Age
sword or spear.
Tattooed boys parade
signs of their tribes.
Though man-packs can be
dangerous as wolves,
before sunset,
boys huddle
like sheep. With every
round of beer
teeth sharpen
voices deepen.