Then the photos appear

I never see them coming

That need for revelation

Emotionally so numbing

 

Image of ex-husband

Faces of cheeky kids

This woman has lived

My life hit the skids

 

Tales come with the pics

Stories of her family life

Domestic ups and downs

How she fared as a wife

 

All I feel is hot shame

Angry at what I missed

Wife, kids, anniversaries

A blank but endless list

 

She's come from an alien

Planet called life and joy

That escaped my universe

When I was a young boy

 

First I'm inclined to sneer

Instead I hold my breath

Sometimes this moment

Proves the kiss of death

 

If she senses my despair

Sees the pain in my eyes

I need do nothing more

She'll hint at goodbyes

 

I need someone like me

With a vacuum for a past

No trite family baggage

A misfit, an utter outcast