Commuter Widow

Trainspotting 
isn’t fun 
not when she’s dead tired 
arms of jelly 
ears full of tears 
	baby wants 
	baby wants 
pick the kids up 
from school
strawberry jam 
sandwiches uneaten 
traffic jam 
	ma I’m hungry 
	baby wants 
	baby wants 
make the dinner 
bake the cake
bun in the oven 
bending over 
nightly shapes 
the body pays the price 
of new-born joy 
	headache 
joyless 
thankless
throb 
9 to 5
paced out 
on the kitchen floor
supermarket 
	chicken would be good
	baby wants sweets
5 o’clock 
tick tock 
train halfway 
baby straps 
double check 
	throb
in at seven 
should be six-thirty
commuter widow waits 
for the daily rebirth 
a partnership 
	what a day I’ve had love 
he shallowly sits 
TV 
dinner 
bed 
make the shapes 
if both are able 
	how did it come 
	to this 
nearly dawn 
where’s his tie 
	I used to be a woman 
intelligent 
bright 
outgoing 	
	he used to be a man 
wide-eyed 
unpredictable 
caring 
	no time to care now 
we used to be together 
in this 
	this mess
baby just wants a hug 

the question you didn’t answer 
what’s left 
?
when reality robs us of dreams 
what do you see in me 
lined 
fatter 
turning sour 
at being cheated 
and then depressed when 
I realise I cheated myself 
out of a better life 
what’s left 
over 
? 
what do you see
when you look at me 
settlement 
or 
excitement 

is it still there 
is it still detectable 
after all that has passed 

baby wants 

baby wants 

baby wants a hug

Copyright © Steve Downes | Year Posted 2013

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