Rising Damp (Poetry)

I think about her now and then —
the one who took my place
does she ever ask about me —
has she banished every trace?

Has she changed you as a person —
has she made you hers alone
or are you still the man I loved
and true right to the bone?

I bet she’s changed the curtains
and the pictures in the hall
the whole house redecorated like
I’d not lived there at all

Fresh paint now covers every mark
and claims with sight and scent
her territory — wall to wall —
my former tenure spent

I dream about the garden and
the lilacs in the rain
walk barefoot on the daisied lawn
and you are mine again

And maybe there are nights when you
have thoughts that drift the same
back down the years and half asleep
you call her by my name

So tell her should she ever ask
there’s nothing she can do
to wipe away the memories
that linger — seep on through ...