Ode to a Schoolgirl

I loved a schoolgirl once
When it was appropriate to do so.
She drank Cokes, with a straw,
Always a straw,
And wore socks
That ended just below her knee.
She was beautiful, to me,
And I was nothing to her.

Schoolgirls never went for me,
Even in my better days.
I’d wear my jacket
With the collar turned up
And drop dead cigarettes
In the gutter.

Now I watch schoolgirls
From this bench across the road.
I’ve got a bottle in one hand,
Something with a kick.
I stare every now and then.
I can’t help but stare.