You got on the coach <br />for the day trip <br />organized by the chapel people <br />for kids who were poor <br /> <br />and this girl <br />sat next to you <br />and said <br />you can be my boyfriend <br /> <br />for the day <br />and she took hold <br />of your hand <br />and gave it a squeeze <br /> <br />and you looked out <br />of the window <br />at your mother <br />standing there <br /> <br />looking up at the coach <br />and you thought <br />is this part of the deal? <br />Is this girl for real? <br /> <br />And Mother waved <br />and smiled <br />and you smiled <br />uneasily back <br /> <br />with the girl’s hand <br />holding yours <br />out of sight <br />and she looked <br /> <br />over your shoulder <br />and waved <br />but no one <br />waved back to her <br /> <br />because her mother <br />wasn’t there <br />maybe she was off somewhere <br />or had to go to work <br /> <br />or maybe <br />she was still in bed <br />with another uncle <br />beneath the sheets <br /> <br />and maybe <br />he was holding her hand <br />and she was holding <br />something you never knew <br /> <br />or cared about <br />just sitting there <br />waving to Mother <br />beneath a sky of blue.<br /><br />Terry Collett<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-girl-who-held-your-hand/
