Smoke Screen
A poem for World Poetry Day
All is not as it seem
The art of teenage life
Behind the scenes there is undoubtedly strife
Intentional, unintentional often times downright humorous
Smirks at me with my impending ‘fuss’
Yes ‘I’ve done my homework mum’
Yes ‘I’ve brushed my teeth’
As his eyes roll, what in gods name had he done to deserve this ‘grief’
I will not sound like my own mother I implore
As I hear yet another slam of the door.
Inevitably the sentences trip off my tongue
I kid myself it’s a song unsung.
The tense conversations around GCSE revision
The comical tales just like the ‘inbetweeners’ on television
Belly laugh and frustration in equal measure
How did he become such a treasure?
As we dance this dance a masquerade
Between coarse practical conversation as tempers get frayed
The smokescreen reveals a wonderful young man
Beyond his phone screen he proves, in life, in fact he capably can.
Incredibly proud of my teen, even if his room needs a hefty clean.
A tenacious relationship, steady and full of joy.
I see myself in the eyes of this once boy.
by
Tracey Bailey