Looking Up
subordinate conjunctions,
fronted adverbials, yes,
we are looking stuff up.
But I’m tired after work
and the shit that surrounds it.
And you huff and you puff
and you puff and you huff
as we confront the worksheet
with its neat little numbers.
And you begin to flounder
and your writing’s a mess
and yes, I confess, we’ve left
it too late — your homework
is full of mistakes. And you
don’t want my help or to know
you’ve misspelt, so I start to
shout and I shout and I shout.
Till you fix my eyes
and shout:
‘You Bitch!’
*
A female dog, or a wolf,
or a spiteful woman.
‘Is that what I called you?’
And your little hands reach up
and hold my face.
