i talked about love
when socially,
i could barely manage a hug

what is the new normal
raindrops,
but more formal?
hugs all round
but with such a different sound

what is coping
it is never really explained
i was never told as a child

i think you grieve for what you feel
you never had
a remote island of a mum
a breakdown truck of a dad

e way you came
it is a one way street
and memory lane
quickly forgets your feet

i saw a bottle of your attachment
and it had spilt, all over the floor
i saw your world
struggle with its chores

your eyes
have always told stories
that have ladles of emotion
just as your childhood
is the disrupted commotion

or is it –
just different roads?
every life
wears its own clothes

i still find it a safe space
even as age, built solid walls
my cardboard box
it is my own place