Be Alive

Woken by it, I tried explaining to her that sometimes in order
to make a noise downstairs that late you had to be alive –

you had to be breathing to open a bottle of rioja to let it

breathe too, and a corkscrew caught on the edge of this

porcelain pot will make a momentary din at around midnight.

What I didn’t mention were the many silent disasters over

the years. Whilst she slept through all of these, there was

that time I managed to divert the bear - who had intruded

as far as the living room - back out to the garden without

a smash or a growl, though it then mauled dead our dog, and
the following day I ended up announcing him missing, joining

in the despair and tears. I almost felt now like confessing

but who would believe someone starting to drink at that time

of night - using a corkscrew on a metal cap, almost quietly?