The breath of old age
Now upon her cheek
She whispers regrets
When she thinks no one can hear
The chances she wishes she had taken
But now they are not hers to take
She is gathering dust
Her life
Ridden with outlines of half full glasses
And cups of tea
And she wonders
Why am I not happy?
A child
A husband
Attractive they say
Kind they say
Successful they say
Lucky they say
But why does she feel unlucky
As her kids hug her and her husband kisses her
And yet she feels untouched
Unattended, her mind overgrowing
Her fingers tracing the tattered edges of her dreams
They grabbed the thread and pulled
Until
No longer was there a dream
Just a faded thread
But once
It was bright
Red like her lipstick
Smudged on the corner of boys’ mouths
And red like the dress she wore dancing on the street corners
And red like the neon signs of the city
She dreamt and laughed and waited for the future
Unknowing
That this was what she was waiting for