Mr. Parkinson, his wife and his two boys.

(Bad case of the jitters)          
         
         
She stands at the sash window, and inhales freedom.          
By six am every morning, when the charming male neighbour leaves, she's there. It has to be before her husband wakes.          
She watches the birds scatter across the grey-white sky, without interruption.          
With the damp washcloth she wipes away the eyeliner on her cheeks, post-drink.          
         
The skiing holiday, the ivory wedding, their two boys at nursery are memories now,        
locked in framed places on the mantelpiece. Each old photograph fuses cracks          
in her, where the weight of playing nurse day in, day out affects her shoulders          
and her hips.          
         
By the burning fire, his left foot trembles in red fleece slippers          
as he rests his weary, bald head          
on her weaker knee and she yawns. Still numb, staring blankly,  
listening to life pass them by with each of his heavy snores.          
         
Her mind pretends, for days at a time, they're up and away      
on a fantasy cruise where the boys can toy with young affairs    
and they could indulge in a world of poker, cigars and Whiskey,  
an adult playground. It's an awful dreary affair.          
         
She tries to explain it to the boys, over breakfast. There isn't a         
cure. Usually they end up talking about artillery, from Dad's time in war,          
and how to blow the jitters out of him.          
"We aren't ready to lose him, Mum."          
         
Original:  
 
birds scatter  
across grey  
the kohl on cheek  
post-drink  
 
and  
 
patchwork memories  
fuse cracks  
where weight hits shoulders  
and hips  
 
his  
 
foot trembles  
head rests  
on knee before furnace -  
ignore life  
 
Mother  
 
up, away  
bell tolls -  
in our world, awfully  
dreary but  
 
loved  
 
fetch the  
cure or  
artillery, we aren't ready  
to lose  
 
him.         
         
31.01.12          
         
http://www.parkinsons.org.uk/?gclid=CPz6543i-q0CFcxofAodpHXkrg