People in unstable situations
I know a girl
who moved
from finglas
in her 20s
to athy. has
a longterm
boyfriend
a little younger
lately talks
a lot about
people she knows
getting pregnant.
she's into
and he's into
computer games.
a house in athy
was the only place
they could afford
outright, but lately
it's been costing them
much more
than they expected
to pay. and most
of her friends
are still renting,
as well – have been having
kids with people
in unstable
situations
but she has
to get windows in
and has also
an ant problem
and her dad
has an ex-wife problem
and she has a mother
-in-law problem
and a mother
problem too,
since she's close
to her dad.
it's amazing
what you can learn
sitting across from someone
Every sound could be a drama
the wind has been moving
the leaves of the plants
on our windowsills like tips
on the fingers of a loose
cotton glove. the window's
half open. out from the world
this sliver is letting in snippets.
sirens call: emergencies
are rushed up the quaysides. a woman
screams somewhere and somewhere
a bottle breaks – somewhere else
or close-by – I don't know.
the thing about apartments
in the middle of the city is that every
sound could be a drama or just be things happening.
in the kitchen I knock over
a glass full of ashes and wine. in the bedroom
my wife snores a brass
band and no-one else hears.