December

Oh, you have played records all night long

You come straight from the club

When you pick me up at six in the morning

You smell of champagne and cigarettes

I put on stockings and a dark green dress

And we're off to the clinic

Ten girls in a room, one bed each

I wonder if I am the only one who feels like

Everyone's staring at me

A nurse in the middle of the room informs us

In a gentle Finnish accent about the procedure

First they will sting us with the needle

Then we'll fall asleep

Then, one by one, they'll take us to the next room

Rid us of our little trouble, our unwanted pregnancies

And then we'll wake up

You’re the only man in the room, you're by my side

When it's my turn to get injection, you’re sent outside

“We've had a problem with boyfriends

They often faint if they see blood”, the nurse explains

Just a few moments later, I am sleeping

And, if they do exist, the angels are weeping

And, when I wake up, you get me

A coffee and a sandwich and a kiss

In which I can taste the last breath of our love

And I can taste you haven't slept for centuries

And it's time to walk out into our own separate winters

Before we leave, the nurse takes us aside

And she tells the two of us to take care of each other

I'm not sure if I remember this right

But I think that's where we start to giggle

A relief in the grief