Stepping out of the shoe box
written by: Sue McBean
Dear John,
We met over T.S. Eliot. I’ll keep that.
I have the best of you in a memory shoebox.
The worst I set down here.
You lost the equivalent of a person in weight, so I could get close enough to conceive our child, but missed the birth, skipped first Christmas, and gave wife and mistress identical presents, telling us the same story: It’s over, she won’t want the child.
I won’t take the blame for not being good enough. The anger is yours.
Farewell.
Sue
P.S. I’m keeping the granite mortar and pestle, baby photos, and vintage champagne.
Sue McBean is a sailor, wildflower photographer, botanist and nurse teacher writing creatively for 15 years. She lives on the North coast of Northern Ireland. Overlaying difficult experiences with beauty and humour, she writes poetry, memoir, essays and children's stories. Sue lives with a mahogany-black long-haired sailing cat called Tamara.
Latest posts by Sue McBean (see all)
- Stepping Out Of The Shoe Box - March 12, 2026
- Christmas Purple Bear - December 18, 2024
