The Single Wanting Hard to be a Double

'I'd like you to be
the father of my baby,
that's all', she said
the day we hiked up the mountainside,

'and then move quietly away
back to your everyday
bachelor kind of life,
back to your friends, ex-wife'.

She had mastered the skill of coming clean...
'I don't want a man around permanently -
he should blend in with the general scene,
be accessible, good friends, be

available for emergencies, park seats,
telephone calls, once in a while fresh sheets,
leaving after a last sweet tea,
someone there for me yet free

to she a life without child and mother'.
She parted without bother -
a kiss on my cheek, a smile, no trouble -
the single wanting hard to be a double.

© R.G. Bishop