ANY OF IT.

If you’ve ever had
To pick your way up
From the bottom
Of the food chain
You’ll understand how I feel this morning;
Good afternoon says a stranger, picking me up
From the gutter, as the evening begins.

If you ever climbed
Down a chimney
With a big sack
And a seasonal suit
You’ll understand the claims from my insides,
Intending to put it all away for another day
I end up eating breakfast, as the evening begins.

If you ever had
To synchronise your swimming
With a pool full of
Knock kneed sinners
You’ll understand the way my lover feels
When she has put the house in order, and sits
Awaiting my return, as midnight begins.

If you ever had
To exercise your mind
Whilst being unable
To engage it
Then you’ll know exactly how I feel
When the dawn chorus is the only thing you
Can remember from the previous day’s beginning.

If you ever had
To close your ears
When you opened
Your mouth
Then you may have some slight understanding
Of the way my head is working, talking to a
Stranger whom I thought was my wife, as the morning begins.

If you ever had
To gather your belongings
In a bundle
On a stick
Then maybe you can find some sympathy for me as all I
Recollect is the moment when the door was all
I had before me, as this afternoon began.