I held her hand, that was always scarred From chopping, slicing, from the knives that lay in wait In bowls of washing-up, that was raw, The knuckles reddened, rough from scrubbing hard At saucepan, frying pan, cup and plate And giving love the only way she knew, In each cheap cut of meat, in roast and stew, Old-fashioned food she cooked and we ate; And I saw that they had taken off her rings, The rings she kept once in her dressing-table drawer With faded snapshots, long-forgotten things (scent-sprays, tortoise-shell combs, a snap or two From the time we took a holiday “abroad”) But lately had never been without, as if She wanted everyone to know she was his wife Only now that he was dead. And her watch? – Classic ladies’ model, gold strap – it was gone, And I’d never known her not have that on, Not in all the years they sat together Watching soaps and game shows I’d disdain And not when my turn came to cook for her, Chops or chicken portions, English, bland, Familiar flavours she said she preferred To whatever “funny foreign stuff” Young people seemed to eat these days, she’d heard; Not all the weeks I didn’t come, when she sat Night after night and stared unseeing at The television, at her inner weather, Heaved herself upright, blinked and poured Drink after drink, and gulped and stared – the scotch That, when he was alive, she wouldn’t touch, That was her way to be with him again; Not later in the psychiatric ward, Where she blinked unseeing at the wall, the nurses (Who would steal anything, she said), and dreamt Of when she was a girl, of the time before I was born, or grew up and learned contempt, While the TV in the corner blared To drown some “poor soul’s” moans and curses, And she took her pills and blinked and stared As the others shuffled around, and drooled, and swore… But now she lay here, a thick rubber band With her name on it in smudged black ink was all she wore On the hand I held, a blotched and crinkled hand Whose fingers couldn’t clasp at mine any more Or falteringly wave, or fumble at my sleeve – The last words she had said were Please don’t leave But of course I left; now I was back, though she Could not know that, or turn her face to see A nurse bring the little bag of her effects to me.

I held her hand, which was always marked From cutting, slicing, from the knives that were hidden In the sink, which was raw, The knuckles red, rough from scrubbing hard At pots, pans, cups, and plates And showing love the only way she knew how, In every cheap piece of meat, in roast and stew, Old-fashioned food she made and we ate; And I noticed they had removed her rings, The rings she once kept in her dresser With old photos, forgotten things (perfume bottles, tortoise-shell combs, a photo or two From when we went on a holiday “abroad”) But recently she always wore them, as if She wanted everyone to know she was his wife Only now that he was gone. And her watch? – A classic ladies’ model, gold strap – it was missing, And I’d never seen her without it, Not in all the years they sat together Watching soaps and game shows I didn’t like And not when it was my turn to cook for her, Chops or chicken pieces, plain English food, Familiar tastes she said she liked Instead of any “strange foreign stuff” Young people seemed to eat these days, she’d heard; Not all the weeks I didn’t visit, when she sat Night after night and stared blankly at The TV, at her own thoughts, Struggled to stand, blinked and poured Drink after drink, and gulped and stared – the whiskey That, when he was alive, she wouldn’t touch, That was her way to be with him again; Not later in the mental hospital, Where she blinked blankly at the wall, the nurses (Who would steal anything, she said), and dreamed Of when she was a girl, of the time before I was born, or grew up and learned disdain, While the TV in the corner was loud To cover some “poor soul’s” cries and curses, And she took her pills and blinked and stared As the others shuffled around, and drooled, and swore… But now she lay here, a thick rubber band With her name on it in smudged black ink was all she wore On the hand I held, a blotched and wrinkled hand Whose fingers couldn’t hold mine any more Or weakly wave, or fumble at my sleeve – The last words she had said were Please don’t leave But of course I left; now I was back, though she Could not know that, or turn her face to see A nurse bring the little bag of her belongings to me.