A Bit Of A Tug

A Bit Of A Tug

The house sale.

says my dad laid in bed.

Not my decision.

I can't breathe when I sit up,

when I stand.

This is how it is.

I wait to die

laid here.

Twenty seven years

getting the garden just right,

palm trees, bird table, pergola

all placed to please.

Employs electricians

for the shower, bath, Jacuzzi.

His careful draughtsman's

pencil draws the circuit boards,

notes how to clean the connections,

undo this screw, not that one.

A bit of a tug as at each of his coughs

he winces, eyes shut, hand hovers

for a tissue to spit out his apologies

for sleeping when I sit with him.

"You don't need to apologise."

"So you keep saying."

Paul Brookes

Paul Brookes is a shop asst. His chapbooks include The Fabulous Invention Of Barnsley, (Dearne Community Arts, 1993). The Headpoke and Firewedding (Alien Buddha Press, 2017), A World Where and She Needs That Edge (Nixes Mate Press, 2017, 2018) The Spermbot Blues (OpPRESS, 2017), Port Of Souls (Alien Buddha Press, 2018),Please Take Change (Cyberwit.net, 2018) Forthcoming Stubborn Sod, (Alien Buddha Press, 2019), As Folk Over Yonder ( Afterworld Books, 2019). He edits The Wombwell Rainbow Interviews.