Tetris

5.30 a.m., when the alarm bibbibbibbips

and you stumble out of bed

with only three or four hours of rest inside you

for the business dinner that went on late,

… good food, good deals

so you’re not complaining,

not complaining, just exhausted … 

and spend the next few hours 

cooking breakfast

seeing your lovely kids

off to school,

packing dabbas

(each especially catered to a different taste

because you do enjoy indulging them)

and then,

rush to get ready for the office

and you’re still not complaining

because you only have to walk to office,

not take the commuter train,

and in any case, once there, they all call you Madam,

and do your bidding entirely 

– no,  not complaining, just exhausted – 

and finally get home, along with the lovely kids

all jabbering fast

so much to tell! so much to share! so many complaints!

so many jokes!

but there’s still laundry to be done

and dinner to be cooked

so, of course, you do it,

and in between when you need a rest

you sneak into the loo

not to smoke a cigarette

which is what you actually want

but it’s too smelly and besides 

if you won’t look after your lungs, who will?

so the cigarette must wait

but you can reach for your little

hand-held video game

and waste a little time, having fun.