The Housekeeper

The Housekeeper

Huddled by the glowing peat

Smoke drifting in the only room

Door closed against driving sleet

Hoping she would arrive soon

He had tarried in youth far too long

His friends had chosen to marry young

Whilst at first he believed he was strong

Now he felt stranded on the bottom rung

He had skipped making meals over the fire

Too often his lunch was bread and cheese

To himself he had become the liar

Now he felt those moments of unease

Dawn and the loch glistened in the sun

In another village she began to prepare

He knew that soon she would come

His mind swirling between hope and despair

There was only one room to the home

A chair table and two beds by a wall

More than enough when he was alone

Suddenly his home seemed so small

The card he placed in nearby village shops

Had not asked about her age or health

She would know to help harvest and lift crops

That he was not a man of great wealth

The sun was high she was due at noon

A heifer bellowed from the byre

Her first calf coming far too soon

Boots on he trudged through the mire

He reached in to turn the calf to the fore

A first birth and she could barely stand

Suddenly a voice called out through the door

“Hi I’m Vera Do you need a hand”

Copyright: David Hopcroft August 2024