coming to think of it
the first woman
to whom I ever
had been very close
must have been desperate
to claim a father
for her three-month child
as yet unborn
she came into my bed
out of the blue
with fierce determination
the mission failed
I was too cautious
and her rash parting
left me wondering
at her dismay
not until some months later
when I saw her push the pram
did I become aware I had
unwittingly
emerged fairly unscathed
from ancient battlegrounds
of social order
* * *