Expensive Rain Jacket Poem by Riitta Gyllenbogel

The lining
of my expensive rain
jacket
broke within weeks
of purchase
first just a little tear
in the lower back
then the whole material
round the tear
went all strange
took it back for a repair
at the shop where I had bought it
free of charge of course

they replaced the entire lining
and it lasted all of a week
couldn't be bothered to take it in again,
wore it in spite of the tear
after a while it grew so bad
it was hanging under the hem
for all the world to see
so I took my scissors and cut right off
an offending section of lining
all on the inside,
figured it's ok.

the pockets
after a while
both got holes in them
stopped carrying anything small
at first
then nothing big either

now the lining
of my expensive rain
jacket
is also torn at the top
of a sleeve

I've got ten years wear
out of this jacket
that broke
within weeks of purchase
nobody's ever said a word
against it

some day soon,
perhaps,
it's time to buy something new