Once Bitten

My husband and I didn't know it
The first twenty-five years the best yet.
But at age twenty-six, the tide turned
Because that was the year that we met.

If love is an orchestra playing
Under a romantic full moon,
Then right from the start we were two violins
Always just out of tune.

A wishing well guards our secrets
But I regret those hidden quirks.
When he disappeared in a flash,
Was it his wish or mine that worked?

Life's tough when you're single at forty
With three little kids still in school.
There's no time to think of yourself
In tuck shop rosters and car pools.

When the kids had flown the nest
Leaving a great space where they'd been
I decided to test my courage
And check out the dating scene.

I put on the pneumonia neckline
And the slinky little black dress
And went off to a solos' dance
The right age, more or less.

The women were quite impeccable,
Gleaming with powder, paint and perfume
Out to enjoy their moment of glory
And impress every male in the room.

Some men rose to the challenge
And dressed in the neatest of styles.
Others went as everyday heroes
And misread the occasion by miles.

In a heartbeat I knew it was wrong.
I didn't fit in with this crowd.
I beat a hasty, high-heeled retreat
Already bested and beaten and cowed.

Yes, sometimes it gets a bit lonely
And book clubs don't fill the bill.
But there's life in this old biddy yet
And I'm not quite over the hill.

Sometimes I send out for a pizza -
The works with onion and soy.
Then I drop it into the garbage
And keep the delivery boy.

For years now I’m travelling solo

With adventures and stories to tell

But I make sure my journeys don’t take me

Near dance halls and wishing wells