Helen Lyne: ‘A Young Couple’s Dream’

A Young Couple’s Dream

We took a massive mortgage
cos the interest rate was low.
After months of careful planning
there was nothing we could show.
No brickies were available
to brick up any walls.
It therefore didn’t matter
that no painter took our calls.
We couldn’t have a tiler
cos he was lacking tiles;
the builder had no building blocks;
the drivers had no piles.
A sparkie would enlighten us
within a year or two.
We couldn’t find a plumber
so we couldn’t have a loo.

We tried to send our loan back
and what we found surprising
the bank told us we couldn’t
and our interest rate was rising.
Now we have a future
in which no babies feature;
we wouldn’t find a midwife
and our kids would have no teacher.
We’re in the health care industry,
a career we both desired.
We’re sick of doing triple shifts;
it’s time we both retired.
We’re cashless, childless, homeless
and things have got so bad
we’ve moved into the garage
at the home of mum and dad.

Helen Lyne