This is a poem I wrote when I first lived in Manchester, c 1986-7, it was inspired by receiving a postcard from an ex, and the snow..... Smoke Arcs across the window pane Bright light, bright white, the snowy northern city and alone in my cold bed I write postcards to my past Another cigarette, and endless cups of coffee, It all seemed so long ago Another life, another era, A nicotine-tinged snapshot of a city far away