What if the news were true?
What state would I be in?
My auntie, tho’ she’s younger than me
Called with news, I’m not ready to hear.
I closed my ear!
Don’t go into my kitchen
The dishes are not clean.
Lots of food in the fridge
I don’t feel like eating.
If you peep into my bedroom
It is not so untidy
Except for the wardrobes
Stuffed with clothes, unworn.
You would expect my sons’ rooms
To be a little bit dusty
They haven’t been sleeping there
For many a year.
If you push your way
Into my living room
Quickly shut the door
Too many things on the floor.
There are clothes on the couch.
To be folded up
Not to be ironed
There isn’t time.
The bathroom and toilet
Are not too bad
The sink is clean
But I have limescalers.
My dining room is a mess
It’s the place where
I should only eat,
In which I also work and sleep.
I think about my office
And the state of my desk
There are reports to finish
I do not know when as yet.
If the news were true
What state would I be in?
I’ve checked my passport
It’s all up to date.
My bags are not packed
I haven’t booked a flight
Two bottles of drops for the eyes
My insurance to renew.
I WhatsApp my siblings
To warn them
Just in case
The same news got to them.
I tried phoning my mother
There was no answer.
My heart stopped once more.
Decided to phone a girl friend.
I speak again with my auntie
To clarify the situation
She’s more than apologetic
The rumours were not true.
The condolences were for
A person I knew, Louise
Who lived close by.
God bless her soul.
My friend called back
To relay the good news.
Mum is alive and well.
She’s talking on the phone.
But from now on, I vow
Always to be
In a state of readiness
Just in case, and before any news.
A state of readiness
It has been five minutes. Thank you ever so bever so much.