Your hair smells of boxes

Your dog smells like toast and the new book you bought

to cheer yourself up does not deserve the glowing reviews.

Just because your plants are dead does not mean

you have to stop watering them, still fill the watering can

while you're waiting for your soup to warm on the hob

and walk from room to room with the radio on.

A job you applied for in 2017 phoned you up to tell you

unfortunately your application has been unsuccessful,

they are sorry it took four years, the quality of applications

was very high, they say good luck with whatever you choose

to do next, and you realise you've not actually made a choice

about anything since you stopped wearing pyjamas, since you

stopped going on holiday since you stopped writing the nove,

it was so much fun deciding on each character's names

and stealing characteristics and life events from your friends.

You agreed you'd talk later in the day, mornings are so busy

but that was eleven years ago. I guess it wasn't clear

which of you would make the call. It is September again

and the socks you were given at Christmas have holes in

and it just makes sense to persevere until December now.