When I was young
I was too embarrassed
to invite friends home,
thinking they would see
the old furniture, the
worn carpet, the odd
books, the unappealing
prints, the washing
on the old clothes line,
the unwashed dishes
in the coldwater sink.
It was only later in life
that I came to realise
everyone was embarrassed
in the same way, and,
more importantly, no one
noticed the flaws in your home.
In the same way other
people’s lives seem glamorous
exciting, sophisticated,
easy, planned, while your own
seems the reverse.
Only later do you see
that some people envy
you your life, failing
or ignoring, the bits
of it you find embarrassing.
If I had understood
these things much earlier
my social life as a child
would have been much richer.
nomdeplume 