Allow Twenty-Four Hours

the radiators came on this week
not all at once

first the bedroom
then the one beneath the kitchen window

the housing company says
this is normal

allow twenty-four hours
before reporting a fault

at 17:42 you wrote
are you home

I was buying bread, dishwasher salt
those small tomatoes you said were pointless

the receipt says
THANK YOU FOR YOUR VISIT

outside the supermarket
someone had left a bicycle unlocked

no one took it

on the bus a woman removed her gloves
with her teeth and called her mother

yes
yes I ate
no it isn’t that cold yet

I watched the houses pass

one window
then another
then another

people eating at tables
people standing at sinks

at home the bedroom was too warm

I turned the radiator down
put the tomatoes in the fridge
although you always said not to

at 21:06 you wrote
never mind

the housing company says
do not switch the heating off completely

the pipes can freeze.