so he cleaned the kitchen cupboards –
including the handles – with a fluffy pink wipe,
and scrubbed the oven door for twenty minutes
until the glass turned from dark brown
to light brown. He put a wash on.
He tidied up toy trucks and trains.
He wrote poems without a pen to let the words
disappear.
Being busy will help the passing of time.
He trimmed his beard, stared at the mirror.
He popped the blackheads on his nose
long enough to let a few scars show.
Men will often turn to a project
to help assuage the feelings.

© Carl Burkitt 2023