Jaye Marie and Anita Dawes

When my son bought his house
It had not looked too bad…
A little outdated,
A little bit sad.

We’d stripped it all back
To the plaster and wood,
Then added some styling
Until it looked good.

But up out of sight
Where we hadn’t been seeking,
Unseen in the dark
Was a pipe that was leaking…

It took quite a while
Till it made itself known,
With damp and wet patches
From plaster all blown.

We called in a plumber
To fix it all…twice.
Then redecorated
To make it all nice.

The plumber, alas,
Had not done the job right,
And there was a crash
In the still of the night.

The cupboard had fallen,
The plaster was shot,
A quick job to fix again?
No, I think not…

He called the insurance,
Who said, with a frown,
“The plaster is rotten,
It has to come down…”

They took…