Click here to hear the poet read his words (accompanied by a duo of persistent tourterelles):

invisible

at the coffee machine
I silently watch
the happy chatter of the girls
as they discuss with each other
every detail of their lives
their husbands boyfriends and weekend plans
with refreshing openness

a male colleague appears
and joins the laughing group
amid some light teasing
and mild flirting
with no offence given or taken

when they disperse
to their various corners of the office
I wonder when I
the most senior member of staff
became invisible

I know that later
I will find someone
to chastise
for no reason
except my own loneliness