Distemper

From the age of mangles
and kitchen pulleys,
it had a smell as unforgettable
as steam on washing days,
which were always Mondays -
four pale green walls of it
in the booming back bedroom
where she used to leave him.
 
Still, he had a friend to wave to
in the wardrobe mirror,
a silent, sobbing, bar-rattling
partner in distemper,
when she didn’t come.
 
That cot was a godsend,
housework took all day, she said,
as she proudly remembered
his first memory -
a woman’s achievement

nothing would take away.

.

Author's Note

Distemper: early type of paint before emulsion; a deranged condition of mind

Reviews

[PatrickPink]

You conjure some great images in this piece, using evocative language to build a clear mental image for your reader. It reeks of domesticity and genuine experience!

[Gerald Parker]

Thanks for reviewing this. A simple piece out of writer's block. I average two poems per year.

[PatrickPink]

Well I'm glad you managed to break the stranglehold, and if this is what you can manage through writers block, I'd love to see where your potential could take you!