1986 Poem by tim woodhouse

I saw that Christmas photograph from 1986,
The one where I looked a bit like Morrissey from The Smiths,
And friends had passed exams to become solicitors
But I had failed all mine and had no cheerful visitors.
I knew you'd found success with another man
(Possibly an accountant) and I was an also-ran,
And I wished you well and quietly let you go
But in my heart it hurt like hell and I couldn't let it show -
Twenty years later I hope your life is stale and your marriage dull,
As if, with me, it might have been more full...
Then again, you'd have tired of me by now and still be living in poverty to boot...
Perhaps you did quite well to choose a different route.