Walking on Broken Glass

She kept him out in the garden shed

Where her sisters wouldn’t see,

He’d not been once in her upstairs bed

If they saw, she’d say, ‘Who me?’

He hadn’t come from her neighbourhood

So he wasn’t quite her class,

Whenever they met, he’d be upset

Like walking on broken glass.

He wasn’t known to her wealthy friends

Her folks or her peers at all,

If they came by she would go all shy

And gaze at a cold brick wall,

While he made out that he wasn’t there

Would hum and look at the sky,

She made him stare like he didn’t care

Or was merely passing by.

But deep down things were beginning to hurt

As he felt each little slight,

Like when she came to the garden shed

For her love feast every night,

She’d bring her cushions and lay her down

As she offered up her breast,

Then pick the cushions up off the ground

To take, once she had dressed.

She didn’t want to be seen with him

She’d say, ‘It can’t be done,

My friends would freak and would think me weak

If they knew what’s going on,’

She said he’d have to be patient, that

It all would be all right,

‘The time will come when I’ll have to tell

But it just won’t be tonight.’

Her sister came to her room one day

With a new bow in her hair,

Her hands had shook with excitement

And that made her sister stare,

‘You’ll not believe what I found today

And I took into my bed,

The greatest love of my life, and he

Was sat in the garden shed.’

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Penlady]

As always, love the twist! AND love the fact that love was finally given and not just taken as advantage...your writing displays well that you are aware of the intricacies of human emotions and how they are so played on.....great write...so totally real and satisfying! Bravo!

[TPK Stories]

Great ending twist. Love the story!

[Nigel Newman]

Oh the twist! The cruelty of one or both people in flawed relationships can be so horrible. I picture this teenage girl playing with him, teasing, going as far as she wanted and no further, whether that was in shed activities or in wider socialisation. Using him. And him, too weak and timid to overcome this insulting demeaning behaviour. He accepted the limitations and went along with the deceit, grateful for what she chose to give him. At least, having been in a slightly similar situation many many years ago, that's the sort of place this takes me. Ashamed of myself for going along with it. It's great that she got her comeuppance, but I suspect the sister would sooner or later realise that this 'love' was actually rather weak.

Regards
Nigel

[Avinash]

Well she never imagined that who she was using as a toy can enjoy the game too. Very easy to identify such events if you have been in the company women of all sorts. Like always simply brilliant. :)

[Coyote Poetry]

I did like this ending. A amazing tale told my friend. Thank you David for sharing the amazing poetry and tale.
Coyote

[Valentine]

Nice ending for the ashamed sister. Perhaps now she will lose him and it serves her right. I am one year older today..YIPES> Valentine