umbrella

grandma has a loop on her handbag
where her umbrella fits
the trouble is that every time she takes it out
puts it up, uses it, puts it down
she leaves it behind
in shops or the car or the doctor's
in cinemas & bowling alleys

i asked her whether an umbrella ever
came back to her
oh no dear, she told me
" i buy six at a time in summer
when umbrella’s are cheap.
the loop has a magnet
to attract them,
but they like their freedom

had a call from the golf club once
to say they’d found
a few renegade umbrellas
in need of a handbag with a loop & a magnet
but none of them were mine"

© MML Bliss