Grown Up

The initial euphoria

Lasted all of

4 weeks, 6 days

And 12 minutes.

It lasted

Through my unpacking

And my dusting

And my arranging

.

It was great!
I could cook up gourmet storms,

Clean to a fault,

Decorate with colours unheard of

Shop indulgently,

(Drink even more so)

Trawl the web

Stay in bed

Have Sitcom marathons

 Laugh at jokes –

All in the solitude

Of my Adulthood.

It lasted

Till I took a breath.

And then it wasn’t the same

Any more

Home was

Waking up to the smell of breakfast.

Clothes that smell like Surf Exel.

Having to fight for the remote.

Never finding the clothes you wanted

Because your sister had them.

Having a gaggle of uninvited people

Drop in for chai-biscuit.

Not having to worry

about what to make for dinner

or whether there was enough pasta for two.

Heat and humidity and afternoon naps.

Always having something to do Friday evenings.

Home was

The smell of my mother’s hug –

 Soap, spices and Davidoff.

The sound of my sister’s guffaw

Echoing off the walls.

This?

This isn’t home,

This is my adulthood.