Hunger Games

[Keith]

The council provided
all the extras
each time she opened her legs.
He wore two tone brogues,
drove a Ford Capri
for cigarettes and six packs,
a shell suited pop
to the corner shop.

She was always heavy
with the next claim
and stayed in bed nursing
hangovers back to sleep,
while children took care
of her and each other.

I can still see their eyes,
being dragged
from failed double glazing,
older sisters would cover mouths,
in case a social worker called,
shouting through the letter box
into the hall.

They played with Marlboro
building blocks,
stacked on soiled bedroom rugs,
taxi's there and back to school
for clean clothes
and ever so grateful lice jumped hugs.

Dad was kind on Friday nights
before they slammed
and locked the door,
he would leave a bag of chips
in the middle of the floor.
One between seven,
was quite a competition
when the youngest was three
and the eldest, eleven.