Raine Geoghegan, MA, is a poet of Romany, Welsh & Irish ethnicity.  She is founder of ‘Writing as Sanctuary’ a Transformative Writing Programme. Nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize; Forward Prize, Best of the Net & the Michael Marks Award, her work has been published worldwide in journals and anthologies. She is the editor of ‘Kin’ an anthology with Salmon Press and has three pamphlets and a full collection available now.

After the Ball is Over

(im Charlie Chaplin)
In our childhood days,
Sydney and I would lie in bed at night,
watching our mother sew blouses and skirts.

Her face lay in soft shadow
as the light of the lamp fell
on where she sat.

Sometimes she would sing in a low voice,
accompanied by the hum
of the sewing machine.

“After the ball is over,
after the break of morn.
After the dancers leaving.
After the stars are gone.”

We remembered her days of glory
when she sang and danced on the stage—
her face painted,
her costumes blazing with colour,
the roar of applause.

Now she made clothes
and only smiled
after church on Sundays.