Home to Roost

I didn’t come home when they wanted,

There was always an excuse

A meeting that had dragged on

Too many ends were loose.

We needed all the money to live

our lives of happy excess

If I missed out on jobs

Our lives would be much less

There was no time for matches

I’d see the play next time

I’d help with homework later

I’ll earn while in my prime

We went away in Summer

For two weeks every year

Full board, big pool, a kids club

My schedule totally clear.

And Christmas full of presents

I’d paid for but not bought

The smiles I see in photographs

My memory of them short

But now they’ve gone, the house is big

I’m here all on my own

The work has stopped

The children left and grown

The silence is a cavern

Regret has left me chaste

Time worth more than money

A life enriched with waste