She used to only call me when she was drunk,

or in need of some way to be herself,

to flop down on whatever couch or bed

I had in the spare room

for five minutes and allow the weight

of the world to be unfurled and hung out to dry.

When she was drunk I could cope, she was never there for long,

and always courteous to my own need for space.

When she was sober, she would wheedle her way into my head and dare