The man sat
rocking slowly in the chair
backwards
and
forwards
pushing the chair slowly
across the creaking
dirty
floorboards

A mouse emerged from a gap
in the skirting
ran across the threadbare rug
to nibble the crumbs from
the tea plate and the
man sat,
rocking.

“this must be a dream”
he said.

“this must be a dream.”

And he wondered if he could be wrong.

Amended 1 May 2005