Reflections on single-parenthood. 

Last Day at School 

And you are off,

Floating through our front door,

Awash with make-up,

Dripping with love,

Much taller now,

Towering above me

A figure of strength,

 Last day at school

Where are you now?

When you are not with me,

No need for cuddles,

No clinging to my leg,

You won’t remember,

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My anklets fill the air with resounding laughs 

As I scuttle between tall blades of grass.

I feel free 

Like I'm the breeze.

A yearning dream

Lounges among the clouds.

Her hand caresses my cheek,

I feel safe and sound.

Did I tell you that I feel free?

Free from the restraint of a rhyme scheme;

Free from structure;

Free from obsessions

Like a speck of dust on a t...

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I always took the sky for granted

Never really cared about the stars

Stuck strictly to the daily round,

Women and booze and fast cars

Sunsets are for walking into with you

At last I see the magic in the sky

Sunsets are for walking into with you

How did sunsets ever escape my eye?

You taught me about love and nature

How they go hand in hand together

Giving lo...

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Lying here comforting my daughter of 9 months beside me, it suddenly occured to me that when she was born I was going to write more, start to share my work, use my time out of work to explore my poetry writing too. You know, all the usual gubbins, before the actual reality of having a newborn who doesn't sleep, has painful reflux and an older, teenage sister or whichever equivalents consume you.

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The first milestone for me

was when I was only three

walked to the end of the garden

and scraped my knee

but then, I was only three

The second milestone for me

was when I was twenty-three

Enrolled in the Civil Service

to serve queen and country

a jolly good pension and all for free

The third, and last, milestone for me

was reaching eighty-three

walked ...

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