David Ford
The Anniversary
She called him at work; unexpected.
Disrupted the steady click of a hot Friday afternoon.
Bring home something special she said,
I’ll make sure Jenny’s in bed.
Her voice was curled and sweet
And it filled him with dread.
He went for drink on the way
To the station. Prepared
On the train what he would say -
The meeting that had gone badly,
The missed lunch, the Tube delays.
He would say how tired he was,
How it had been a pig of a day.
But she was so pleased to see him.
The next morning he got straight out of bed.
He played with his daughter until eleven,
Then took her coffee and toasted white bread
Neatly arranged on a tray.
He stood over her, then folded,
Like an ancient lord bestowing a blessing,
And gently kissed the crown of her head;
Avoiding the sleeping face raised in blind expectation.
Page(s) 41
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