Sarah Misses Them

Sarah slowly makes her way through the malaise
Wading through molasses
Walking through treacle

She’s careful not to say a word out of place
She tacitly complies with every necessary evil
She mirrors the masses
She parrots the people

From half 8 to half 9 she works zero hours
And does everything in her power to get home before 10
In an attempt to catch the last fading rays emanating from the beaming faces of her sunsеtting children

More often than not, thеy’re already in bed
More often than not, she misses them

But sometimes her eldest is still awake
So they sit at the kitchen table
Carve up, share out and savour the paltry remains of the day
These moments are small but restore her faith in balance and order
The divine system of scales and weights
Which dictate we must sublimate our wills to be bent by higher whims
It will all be worth it, she will be rewarded in the end
When she’s repaid in time which she’ll spend
Second by second
Minute by minute
Buying back lost hours with her children
Buying back lost hours…

But what happens when they’ve fled the nest, what then?
What happens if they’ve got no time to spend, what then?
What then?
What then?
What then…