Affecting people

We don’t know how we affect people           

and I wasn’t listening to the radio

I was filling the dishwasher

but then this voice came on

talking about a girl in her class

something she refused to do

ages ago at secondary school.

At the time the woman on the radio

couldn’t work out why she wouldn’t join in

or how she knew it was wrong so young

when everyone else thought it was fine

and that she must be a weirdo

sat away from the pack while they watched

what teacher was doing.

I think it may have been something to do with animals.

Being on the radio this woman was probably quite famous

or maybe she was plugging a book

but all she wanted to do was tell this girl

how important she was to her

and when she said it her voice cracked up.

I stood looking at my childish paintings

and thought about everything I’d wanted to do

but hadn’t

then the husky male interviewer came back on

and said something like

‘If you’re out there, Jane Stubbings,

you’re an incredible woman, so get in touch.

Someone would like to say thank you’.