talking with & listening to them

these two bodies behind glass

having trodden the lines of intimacy

long term relationship reaching

& finding only there an impasse

she could not articulate her wants & needs

wanting him to somehow intuit them

not daring to pronounce for fear of censure

some ancient morality figure of priest

which if she did act these out when drunk

would refuse sober to accept as done

& behind his own glass he needed words

verbalisations to feel himself safe

such are the ways of survivors of physical

& mental abuse from an early age

needing in togetherness a safe place

they could see each other through the pane

but would not could not be clearly understood

& I as the watcher the listener impotent

feeling their rage frustration & sad lack

could only watch as they trudged along

around their ankles the cracks exposing

each others own feet of clay unable

both disabled in their own sad ways

a perfect storm of unhappiness brewing

in which each could not shift building

for a contented settled unhappiness

in all of their days