You say back to me, at the window, 

Fruitlessly breathing out the fag

Whose smoke blew back into the room,

As I do now, "The digs rule is

No smoking in the house."

I wish it were you still – I’d crawl across

The big room-filling bed and embrace

You from behind. To solace, kiss and love,

As I did years ago; you’d sadly said

“I’m looking forward to my cup of tea”

As though that were all to look forward to…

A cup of tea, a fag. Why were we here,

Three decades on, hard put, hard pushed,

As if all we had struggled through

Counting, it seems, for nothing

But I believe God has said to me

Resigned acceptance is not all

With all the sadness and fear implied

But that anger, mounting from the soul,

Has a voice, another energy

Anger at shitty circumstance,

Anger with our self-defeat

Anger at Him too – He’s big enough

Surely to take it – raises up

The wearied body to new deeds

Fuck the money! We’ll survive

We will, we will! We’ll claw it in

Somehow; new strength, new hope, new faith,

Is ours to have – but first we must

Put loving hearts exactly together

We’ll strive as one; with smiles may be

For those deserving; for the rest -

With purpose, power and hard words too

We love so much, ever will do

The world must yield to me and you!!

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