Crisps on a Bun

 

When Mother had nowhere to live

the council found her a place with a widower

and his two sons to clean the house

and cook meals

but she and her two daughters

ate supper in the bedroom we shared

—cold meat and crisps on a bun

together because the man who let us live there

assumed housekeeping also meant sex

so we had to stay in the bedroom

to sleep and eat our meals

while the boys showed their resentment

with insults as we rushed

from bedroom to back door. 

I remember hurrying 

out of the house

quickly with fear

and guilt for leaving

Mother alone in there.

Wouldn’t it be nice

if people earned sex

from respect and caring?

Wouldn’t it be good

if our society understood

that sex is about love

instead of power?

Wouldn’t life be easier

if we learned to honour our feelings

negotiated with them first

before we built factories and railways?