Mary Daly

A phantom cot and phantom toys
To be in a future that never was
Haunted by a parallel past
Where happy families exist.
...

If you want to know
How I feel
Read my poems.
But don't ask
...

The world's like a huge tangerine,
The colours I've felt,
The emotions I've seen
All coalesce in a huge shiny ball,
...

She saw the roses in the room,
Bunches of them, all in full bloom,
It was such a wonderful sight,
A perfect end to a romantic night.
...

I saw my husband on the stair,
I looked again, he wasn't there,
The step was cold and dark and bare.
...

I know that they're telling the truth.
My hands- I've lost all my youth
So what do I say
To that question each day?
...

When they ask you how you are,
The normal response is to imitate a clown,
Cheerful outside, inside full of gloom.
'Very well, thank you'
...

There's a Paul-shaped hole in the Universe,
Sucking in all positive things.
I am drained of of all happiness.
My feelings no longer soar on wings.
...

I go in a room,
They ask 'What do you want? '
Do I want the latest paper,
Do I want to talk to someone,
...

I love Luton Airport,
It's a great place to go,
It's a great place to visit,
(People do that you know) ,
...

I'm a poor lonely widow and I have no name,
I use food banks now, to add to my shame,
But then isn't that all part of the game?
...

If I had not met you I wouldn't have married,
Instead, I wouldn't have tarried
Someplace where I really shouldn't have been.
...

Someday I will be happy,
At the moment my life is bleak,
Still, hope still lives on,
The sun is accessible,
...

I have a few poems I'd love to relate,
They would, I think, be apt for after Eight,
But I won't.
...

Do you ever feel like screaming,
After you've been dreaming
Of your loved one in the room?
...

Do you ever feel like crying,
For no reason- you're still lying
Everything's good and you're over the moon.
...

All I wanted was a hug,
You did ask, so don't just shrug,
It would be so nice someday,
To be virus-free Hooray!
...

Do you, like me, ever have widow brain?
You don't know what to do in the rain?
You don't have anyone to help with finances,
There's a distinct lack of men at tea dances?
...

I lie awake in my hotel room,
My friend is sleeping across the hall,
Tomorrow we will see the sights,
And at night we'll have a ball.
...