Confidence Broken 1962 Poem by Terry Collett

Elaine stands in the lounge,
her mother stands there
staring at her,
arms folded across the breasts.

Elaine's sister
standing nearby
glum and gazing at her.

Your sister here says
that boy John
kissed you on Sunday,
is that true?
Her mother says.

Once he did,
Elaine says,
just one kiss,
and I didn't know
he was going to kiss me,
so it isn't my fault,
and why she has to blab
I don't know,
it's not as if we did IT,
whatever that means,
and now she
has told others,
and it is all over
the school bus,
and my life
is a misery,
and so is John's,
and all because
of her big mouth.

That's enough,
her mother says,
your sister was just
doing what she thought
was right keeping me
informed about
what is going on
under my own roof.

Nothing is going on;
he just kissed
me the once,
and I told her
in confidence,
and now the whole world
and its wife knows,
Elaine says.

ENOUGH,
her mother bellows.

Silence follows;
the sister sits
on the sofa,
Elaine sits
in an armchair,
the mother
stands glaring,
pacing back and forth,
arms still folded.

I can't have him here
if he is going to start
that kind of thing,
the mother says,
if he comes again
then he will
have to behave,
and remember you
are just 14 not 24.

He's 14 too,
and it was just a kiss,
Elaine says quietly,
gazing at her mother,
waiting to see
if her mother glumps
her one,
but she doesn't,
she just stares at her.

If he comes again
I said he will
not kiss or anything
behind my back,
the mother says,
and what do you
mean IT?
What IT?

Elaine looks
at her sister;
I don't know,
she mentioned IT,
not me,
Elaine says.

Her sister looks at Elaine,
then at her mother.

Well what is this IT?
The mother says
to the sister.

The sister looks
at her mother
large eyed.

IT you know,
she says.

I don't know,
the mother says.

Doing things,
the sister says.

Doing things?
The mother says,
what things?

The sister glares
at Elaine,
sex things,
she says.

Sex things?
The mother says,
SEX THINGS,
she bellows,
she turns,
and looks at Elaine.

Well?

I don't even know
what IT is,
so I couldn't do IT,
Elaine says
staring at her mother,
waiting to see
if her mother
slaps her one,
but she doesn't,
she sits down,
and looks at both girls.

I don't want
another word
about this
no more IT
or I will,
she says firmly,
hit.