We have no kids to bounce on the bed
We feel the cool, damp day start side by side
We know each nook and cranny of the room
And of us.

We are an odd couple, no one would pair us
We are Ying and Yang
We are two halves of one whole
We are light and dark

We are a mystery even to ourselves
Why do you love me? I ask
Because you are you he replies
But why? I persist

Because I love you, all of you.
He turns catches hold of me
Gives me a hug, and helps raise me from the bed
Guilt washes over me on this grey Sunday

Why would he love a bitter, angry, depressed
Disabled woman?
Why?
Because he loves all of me, and I of him.

No bricks, no mortar
Just empty rooms.
Space so large it truly is never ending
Silence, so quiet it screams.
Doors only unlocked at certain times
Windows always looking in - never out.

If we looked out what would we see?
Croquet on the lawn?
A garden party?
A dog chasing its own tail?

Focus on the dog, the ******* dog
It's teeth, the steam of its breath as it pants
It's fur glossy, midnight black
He's padding forward, to you, you at the window

Go back, run, find a room that's unlocked
Unknown, uncared for.
Hide, retreat, leave the black dog outside
You and that dog can never play ball.

You find a room with a checkered floor
Black and white, chess.
You, are the Queen of this chess mansion
You, are not captured, not today
Not by the black monstrous dog.

Cloaked in anonimity she walks the halls
Cloaked in solitude and an aura that repels
She walks in heels, clipping the wooden floor
She is an enigma, she is known, she is the girl that no one knows
Knowing her is a privilege, it means she acknowledges you
You, look at the long hair dyed to hide, her lips painted to entice and repel.

The blood red lips, black hair, heels and sneers, cloak her
Talk to her and she may answer, she may just walk on
Ignoring the occasional stare she melts into herself
*****, is whispered, she inwardly smiles, searching for a face
She wants to be new. She wants to be herself.
She wants to be alone, she wants to be in a group
She wants to be somewhere new.
She wants to be with him, but, she never will
She knows the meaning of being lonely
It's her cloak.

We speak a common language
We are friends
We have been friends for over a quarter of a century(1 old 1 new)
We have never met

You and I would never have known each other
But for fate.
Fate turned a postman up my steps
He dropped a letter with a US stamp on the mat

From the first introduction I was smitten with my postal friend
She encompassed all that was red, white and blue.
Pretty, funny, generous and kind
I felt in comparison like an ugly sister to Cinderella

American TV programmes, American music,
John Hughes movies, she lived that life
I was Ally Sheedy to her Molly Ringwald's 'Breakfast Club'
I watched her grow through letters, she I in turn.

We journeyed the 80's the 90's the naughties and now the 1st decade of the 21st century together.
We both married, we both suffered sadness and joy
Highs and lows.

You still have the hair of my memories
You still have the smile of my memories
You still evoke a time of innocence for me
You still evoke my smile

Yet, now we approach our 40's
Born anew, the US is changed, Europe is changed
We remain joined as always through words.
You my American friend.