Menopause

So your friend finally turned up?

Was it like a lover who’s crawled out from under your skin,
crawled away, no looking back?
And you’re so tired of itching, you stop –
get back to normal.
That’s when the lover gets in touch again. The phone rings,
you laugh, have a friendly flippant conversation
which ends on your terms
and you put the phone down, free.
No?

This is different, is it? This is real life.
This one will be around for a few days yet – P2 C Lange
ugly brown trickle like river water or onion soup.
Why don’t you see it for what it really is?
Old blood. A nuisance. Lots of symptoms and not much action.
Typical deserter. Hit and miss affair.

And there you were, thinking you might get off easy,
thinking your friend might just never come back.
So you open the door, old whore that you are,
and tell the truth
because you can’t be bothered to lie:
“Oh, so you came. The sooner we start,
the sooner we get it over with.”

Candyce Lange


If you have any thoughts about this poem, Candyce Lange  would be pleased to hear them