Ain’t Life Strange  by  Mike Joslin

Should she rise and answer her door
or stay there lying on the floor
pondering on life’s do's and don’ts
and all her many will's and won'ts.

Religions failed her, one and all
but last night she was ten feet tall.
She’d briefly conquered all her ills
on far too many Class A pills.

The ringing of her bell was loud.
The rapping knuckles made her cowed.
They scared her too if she was straight.
It made more sense to pause and wait.

Angry lovers she’d had many.
They’d spent on her to their last penny.
She'd taken most of them for fools;
they’d vainly followed all her rules.

They had paid, she'd gladly spent,
not caring where the money went.
When that was gone, then she was too
It took more time to lace her shoe.

“I’m just a whore
but I’ll open the door.
I can’t do more”

“Why howdy, Mam. My name is Sam
and I’m in a jam.

My life is tough and I’m feeling rough.
We’re on the road and things are mean.
There’s takes and shoots for every scene.

“A bit-part here, an advert there
and cameras, make-up everywhere
It’s just a race. I can’t take the pace
of life with no home base.

“The man in charge has made me think
there’s more to life than girls and drink
and snorting coke and shooting dope.
He said some things which gave me hope”.

“‘Sam’ he said. ‘Just leave this life
and find real work and an honest wife
What you can see all round you here
Will drag you down year after year’”

She drew him in and dropped the latch.
She’d met her match. Boy,what a catch.
“You know”, she said “it might make sense
to halt our lives of decadence.

If both of us can slip life’s tether
perhaps we’ll spend some time together.
Let’s wait and see.
I’ll make some tea”.