when a train runs out of track
when a door swings open and never back
when days are cold and forever grey
when milk turns sour day after day
when times get hard and even harder
when there’s no grub in the larder
when the bed is barren cold as charity
when life lacks hope and lacks in clarity
when there’s no pleasure only lost joy
when you wanted a daughter and conceived a boy
when your luck is bad as bad as your teeth
when they serve lettuce when you want beef
when your love is rejected it troubles your sleep
when no one’s looking you sneak a peep
when you court trouble nobody knows
when you wipe your eyes and follow your nose
when no one knows there’s no one to care
when you rarely shave or comb your hair
when you act at leisure and repent in haste
when nobody sees your looking glass face
jeff cloves
.