Midway in family of five
A sixties teenager tasted,
Savoured, nibbled at him,
Nurtured viable traits,
Bottled others to ferment
To maturity.
She did not fall for chat-up lines
Like "let it all hang out".
Questioned shallow jollity,
Exposed the drifting pathos
Of non-commitment.
She did not fall for mouth heroics,
Scattered in the breeze,
Or cramped aimless roots
Of pot-plant love.
She did not call for gallantry
From Knight on lathered steed,
But nurtured fellow-feeling
Transparent in devotion,
And affirmed "I do" when
Its roots tittled her toes.
A new-ringed life held hands
Urging continuity,
Together work, together play.
To mould a man out of
Another woman's boy
And open his eyes
To the challenges of duty,
So that he could occupy his throne
As head of their home.