CUTTING TIES WITH MOTHER

Immaculately dressed five foot six

With voice to match the act

Face cosmetically fixed

And lippy always packed

Short blonde hair always set

Heels at the ready

Mother was a femme threat

As made the guys go heady

When I was twelve confided

She hated mousy hair

And immediately guided

Me to salon chair

Blue eye-shadow; pink rouge cheek

Would make me more refined

Clear this was mother-speak

‘Inadequately designed’

Jeans and denim jacket

Where not what Ma expected

Prepared to spend a packet

To ensure I was corrected

My speech was defective

Elocution was a must

Needed me reflective

Of the upper crust

Soap Coronation Street

Opined for lower class

Made it clear did not meet

Standards up own arse

Mother was North London snob

Ashamed I was in care

And criticised the brilliant job

Houseparents did whilst there

The only ones that recognised

The value of my voice

Mother vocally despised

Rahamim and Joyce

She criticised once only

There was no second chance

Because I left her lonely

Without a backward glance