Patricia Walsh
Instruction Manual
The tired gypsum pen announces the lesson.
Lackadaisical attention a gift for some,
Slamming books for attention, dissuading toys
Of another existence, singular behaviour
Consistently a zero before a mouth is opened.
There is a certain charm to your dawdling
Being fed along the way a happy doctrine
Mimicking alcohol before the deed is done
Fancy stationery coveted to the very last
Breaking marriage before the word is uttered
Everyone sees the joke, before I do,
The secret makeup escapes no one
Warned off boys before their discovery,
Being overdressed a cause for censure
Being watched is a curse worth taking.
A world in my head, paid by sweetened money
Schemes alight on a childish fantasy
Independence on a string, as I am
Tripping on my own debt to my betters
Talking to a higher order not tolerated.
The elusive disco, an enviable freedom
Not missing much, by all accounts
The televised dared suffices for now
Abandoned dolls and teddies turning the corner
Censure before bedtime a gallant mix.
Other work by Patricia Walsh