Poem 71

True story … from what Paul Kelly would call ‘the street of early sorrows’ …

Your Father Said …

Your father said we were a good pair
standing back to back only
as tall as each other your tomboy body
so similar
to mine
          you got mad
          when the man at the dairy said
          there you go
                          boys
you were always brown
and peeling a good wrestler
full of infidelities
                   the rotten kid
                   next door
I remember your voice calling me
to play under the hose
when your parents
weren't home			     what did we want to happen?

and how we agreed
husbands should always be
older
then were sorry your birthday
came before mine