I Know That You Need Me
Listen to Jacqueline read her poem ...
I know that you need me.
All winter long
I keep you warm and dry,
Shelter you from storms,
Protect you from the bitter, biting winds,
But what thanks do I get?
You toss me carelessly on the cloakroom floor,
Leave me to be trampled by doubtless countless feet,
Discard me, dripping, in doorways,
Cram me cruelly into carrier bags
Then lock me in a dark cupboard
All summer long
Where I never see the sun.
You treat me with cruelty and contempt.
Fate dictates that you despise and hate me
And are desperate to be separate from me
Yet I know that you need me.
All winter long
I keep you warm and dry,
Shelter you from storms,
Protect you from the bitter, biting winds,
But what thanks do I get?
You toss me carelessly on the cloakroom floor,
Leave me to be trampled by doubtless countless feet,
Discard me, dripping, in doorways,
Cram me cruelly into carrier bags
Then lock me in a dark cupboard
All summer long
Where I never see the sun.
You treat me with cruelty and contempt.
Fate dictates that you despise and hate me
And are desperate to be separate from me
Yet I know that you need me.
This poem is copyright (©) Jacqueline Shirtliff 2023
About the Writer
Jacqueline Shirtliff
Jacqueline is a primary school teacher on the Isle of Man. She is passionate about instilling a love of poetry and reading in the children she teaches and encouraging them to be writers themselves. She lives with her husband and youngest son in a rose-covered cottage near the sea, and when she's not teaching or writing she enjoys gardening, crochet and playing the tuba and harp, but not all at the same time!
