FOR MIKE AND LOUISE
CURTAIN UP....
A Play in Three Acts
Act I
Mike and Louise are coming to visit,
A 4-5 hour
round-trip.
I’m so looking
forward to seeing them,
Despite inevitable
post-visit dip.
As though for a
military campaign,
I’ve been in
training all week.
Conserving energy,
no little walks,
So my bones are
beginning to creak!
I’ve been resting,
resting, resting…..
Though, today, I
have been “busy”.
Showering and
washing hair,
Which made me
somewhat dizzy….
I see friends and
family infrequently,
That’s as much as
I can do.
I find it totally
exhausting,
But, then, that's ME for you.....
So, tomorrow, I will
…. rest again,
And then I’ll comb
my hair.
It will be nice and
clean and shiny,
So I’ll feel I’m
half-way there!
And, then, I’ll
put some make-up on
Because, no doubt
about it,
Although I never
usually bothered much,
I daren’t now be
seen without it!
I’ll wear
something in pastel shades,
And ear-rings in the
shape of a flower.
A spritz of scent – and I’ll look and be
Almost normal –
for an hour….
Then, just before
they’re due to arrive,
I’ll pop a
pain-killing pill.
That should see me
through for an hour…..
At least I hope it
will!
******
Act II
So, when Mike and
Lou arrive,
They might say: “You
do look well!”
I never know the
correct response….
Should I say: “I
feel like hell”??
No, it’s really
best to say nothing….
Concentrate on my
time on-stage,
A matinee
performance –
They grow fewer as I
age.
For about an hour,
I’ll be the self
I was, “back in
the day”.
I’ll be vibrant,
chatty, witty….
And I’ll have a
lot to say!
My performance will
be worthy of
An Oscar or a BAFTA.
But, of course,
that’s only on-stage,
No-one sees me
after.*
(* except lovely
hubby…)
*******
Act III
Post-performance,
back to my dressing-room,
To collapse in an
elegant (?!) heap.
And, then to drag
myself on to my bed,
To have a
much-needed sleep!
I’ll reflect on
how lovely it is
To spend time with
family and friends.
On how quickly the
time passes,
And how sad it is
when it ends.
After which, of
course, I’ll ponder
When my next
performance might be.
But, as you well
know, that won’t be my choice,
It will be totally
up to…. ME!
Ffion