Golden Boy
written by: Ian Fletcher
I would return in pomp for the weekend
back from a conference in Brussels.
Mum would get my suit dry-cleaned
and dad would book a peak-time table
at the local five-star restaurant to show off
the son that was a somebody.
I return from a teaching stint
at an obscure language school in Spain
for my unpaid July and August vacation.
Mum notices the holes in my shoes
and takes me to the city center
to anonymously buy a new pair
while dad hands me a wad of cash
to help ‘tide you over the summer’
surmising it will be spent on booze.
How shall I be judged
as I stand before them
having conjured up
their imaginary ghosts
not the son they wanted
but the one I have become?
Born and raised in Cardiff, Wales, Ian has an MA in English from Oxford University. He lives in Taiwan with his wife, two daughters and cat. He teaches English in a high school. He has had poems and short stories published in Duane’s PoeTree, Tuck Magazine, Best Poetry, The Ekphrastic Review, 1947 A Literary Journal, Spillwords Press, Dead Snakes, Your One Phone Call, Schlock! Webzine, Short-story.me, Literary Yard, Indian Periodical, Anotherealm, Under the Bed, A Story In 100 Words, Poems and Poetry, Friday Flash Fiction, The Drabble, and in various anthologies.
Latest posts by Ian Fletcher (see all)
- Golden Boy - July 8, 2024
- Sic Transit - April 19, 2024
- The Statue - September 5, 2023
