A phase she went through

You write to say you’re happy now, better
since you ditched smoking and took up Pilates.
You and the Yank – the one with the huge
inheritance – have produced a son called Josh.

You take fortnights in the Maldives. You never think
of that weekend in Whitby, and have thrown out
that photo of us in ripped fishnets, dancing uncontrollably
to the only cheerful record by The Cure.

Rosie Garland is a novelist, poet, and singer in post-punk band The March Violets. Her award-winning poetry has been widely published. Her latest solo collection is Everything Must Go (Holland Park Press), based on her experience of throat cancer. Her debut novel The Palace of Curiosities was published by HarperCollins in March 2013 and a second novel, Vixen, is out July 2014. http://www.rosiegarland.com/

Photo by Jonathan Bean.