BIFOCAL UNIVISION
supplied the prompt
BREAKING IT OFF
Tomorrow we were getting engaged.....
That was the arrangement.
How can I tell the family
That there's been an ....estrangement?
They're all so fond of Oliver;
And so thrilled about the wedding,
Though I've had sneaking doubts
About the way we two were heading.
We've known each other since childhood;
Our families intertwine;
He's lived next-door for ever;
His interests have been mine.
It was always taken for granted
That we were 'made for each other',
But, truth to tell, our relationship
Was more like sister and brother.
Then, one day, he kissed me,
It was then I realised
That he felt something more for me.
I was quite surprised!
It all seemed so inevitable,
So safe, so sweet, so calm.
But something happened yesterday
Which sounded the alarm.
I met a young man on the train;
We just exchanged a glance.
But, for the rest of the journey,
I sat in a trance.
This was how I ought to feel!
There was no doubt about it!
This was what was missing!
And I'd have to live without it!
I've tossed and turned through half the night;
I've come down to make some tea.
And there are the party nibbles
Laid out in front of me!
Tomorrow I'll have to tell Oliver
That I can't be his wife.
Tomorrow I'll face our families.
Tomorrow I'll start my life!
*
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DOLLY
I'm a fan of Dolly Parton!
Not the singing or the hair
Not even the curving bosom
Or the business-woman flair.
I became a fan one evening
When I chanced to hear her speak
And I found her personality
Delightfully unique.
She was interviewed on radio
And I listened avidly
As she spoke about her childhood
In the wilds of Tennessee.
One of a dozen children,
'Dirt poor' to use her phrase,
She had the guts to rise and shine
In very many ways.
But forget all her accomplishments,
The things that she can do.....
She was laughing at herself
Throughout the lengthy interview!
That's what endeared her to me!
Not accomplishments, as such,
But a wonderful ability.....
A self-deprecating touch.
'I'm just a cartoon, darling!
With my bosom and my hair!'
What a down-to-earth approach,
Refreshing and so rare!
And when she said she'd been married
For more than forty years,
And that to the same husband,
I nearly shouted out 'Three Cheers!'
The world is full of celebrities
Who simply leave me cold.
Dolly! You've got character!
And that's worth more than gold.
*
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