the early morning sky brightens,
shimmering with promise.
I think of picnics,
of seaside trips,
children playing in sandpits,
distant music wafting in through my window,
a ribbon of unfamiliar road,
sweeping hedgerows,
fresh hellos.
the sunshine brings to mind
all those images, those sunshine activities,
absent from today’s agenda.
he has made his decision
later today he returns to prison.
I will be released from these hidden bonds,
to be granted independence at the expense of his freedom.
he will be away for twenty-eight days,
and though I will grieve for him
deep down I am relieved.
after he has left
I will walk up the hill to visit a friend.
I will talk, eat,laugh and cry in her safe company.
she invited me to stay overnight,
but I won’t take up her kind offer.
Instead I will buy a miniature brandy,
come home, and drink it
alone.
©Jane Paterson Basil
Making it write 