the warped bathroom cabinet
told sorry tales of debauchery
with its KY jelly
and kite mark condoms
with its glycerine suppositories
the cheap chipboard had swelled
under the stinking damp
the white veneer peeled a long time ago
and what was revealed
by the u bend, separated from the loo pan
pipe, disgusting
it dripped
on the peeling Lino, checkers
you could slip away here
filth
and no one had bothered to repair it
just put up with it
landlord, filth
just put up with the miserable last
piss it away
no heating
and overcast with a nude 60 watt bulb
no shade
harsh and away with it
dreams were never made in the bathroom
no window
the axial extractor fan bearing squealed
almost seized now
for ten minutes on a timer
as I retired
to her recliner chair
in 70s brown
and thread bare
no, no dreams where made
except a nightmare there
she used the floor as the ashtray
and took me on the slipway
of floorboards and sorry rugs
a tug of guilt almost stopped me
but a dirty desire
took over
and we made crap conversation
false before and after
a 3 bar fire
set to position one
and after I had gone
I thought I passed another
another sorry number
on the stair.

“love your receding hair”, mate
“love your pot belly tub”ha!
celebrated middle age
with a wage from the factory
and a whore of satisfactory requirements
on the phone booth flyer
all looked good until you try her
you want to rescue her?
make her your own, no
she has defences impenetrable
she will never let you get her heart
her soul
just her intimate parts
in the sorry body roll
your performance was sorry
and pathetic
you humped like animals
forget it he said almost
as she could not make him come
a lousy hooker
lousy mum he thought
yet who was he to judge
or to wipe the smudge of her away
for situations are never white but often greyed
in the making of a life
trying to stay afloat
the hot blade knives of vapour clouds
loving heroine
loving Marilyn
no one is called Marilyn
but no punter cares for real names.
anyway.