Pretty Handsome Poem by Yvonne Rautenbach

Pretty Handsome

Forget about pretty now
it's about being kind
Your waves are looking thin now
Your skin is like a rind.
Where once you swept a silky bob
There's only bits of straw
Though you trawl the fashion shops
Until your feet are sore...
The little bits of frilly things
dont flatter anymore.
Where once they gave you golden bows
And boxes from Chanel
Packets arrive with ' lavender'
and Eucalyptus smell
The boots which once adorned your legs
are like banana skins
Discarded in a darkened place
No longer fit your pins - It's clear that
it's not pretty now
Excusing all your sins
Once you were a scatty bird and now
You're Nora Batty
You were once a feline thing
and now more often catty
Is there any beauty in the colour on your eyes
Or is grey the colour of the new appointed wise?
Forget about pretty now it's about discreet
roll your feelings au chignon
And concentrate on feet
All the roses, teddies and bits and Bobs from Spain
Are second to the pills and pads
And things to ease your pain
Everything an inch away so you can reach from bed
And in the bottom drawer nearby
A prayer which someone said
Piece of hair, a diary, a photo of a face
Someone who saw you pretty
In another time or place.
Forget about handsome now
it's about being there
Struggling with the squealing gate
And losing all their hair..
Falling asleep in every place
And being in the way
Turning on the TV in the middle of the day
Starting to make a model
(he wishes it was real)
Cant quite make the jar to screw
And when's his MOT?
Colliding in the kitchen
and spilling cups of tea.
Forget handsome, pretty
It's time for being kind..
pretty is a rough cut thing but wisdom is refined.