Philomela's day

Philomela's Day

Cough and cough and cough and cough

These are my days, tough and rough

We’re all out of fortune

A sister married out of exhaustion

A brother married out of compulsion

The first to a husband who is a flop

The second to a lagging coquette from a shop

And me to a man who was not a man

Then one day I left him with no plan

All we got out of life was mock

And the cool laughter of the rock

We all wanted to escape

We thought we’d find the Good Cape

But then the hell was all and gale

When we could no longer set the sail

She coughs with a pale face and wet hair

She coughs always in despair

He has hidden his face in his hands

Her coughs drive us to mad-lands

And his suffering gestures old ruts

We were the victims of two despots

Always flaring and glowering

One bouncing, the other cowering

And tearing at each other’s heart

With sharp daggers of words smart

And selfish duels which never ceased

But all the time just increased

My face is furrowed with many a crease

My heart at times starts to freeze

I feel a lump in my throat

I have to witness and to dote

Once I dreamed of tomorrows

But now I just count my sorrows

Nothing changes but for worse

My days are so tough and coarse.