Today’s poem

FRIENDS FOR DINNER The house is looking really good, Hoovered carpets, polished wood, And all the usual clutter’s out of sight. We won’t be eating off a tray, Or getting Chinese takeaway; Mum’s friends are having dinner here tonight. She’s been cooking all day long And four attempts have all gone wrong, At last, the fifth one seems to be alright. There is nothing I can play, My toys have all been put away. I’m glad Mum’s friends don’t come round every night. I think I will go and see If there’s something on TV, Why did Mum just look at me and frown? I go to sit on the settee, She suddenly yells out to me: ‘I’ve plumped up all the cushions — don’t sit down!’ Dad isn’t drinking from a can; He’s got a beer glass in his hand. Mum’s running upstairs now to change her dress. She turns around before she does And threateningly she calls to us: ‘Don’t either of you dare to make a mess.’ Now at last the doorbell rings, Mum has thought of everything. Look how the scented candle gently flickers. I see her rushing to the door, But should I tell her? I’m not sure . . . That her dress is tucked inside her knickers. mary Collis, Ryde, Isle of Wight.