L111
Since I reached my fifties
Hot flushes have ruled my life,
Dictating what I can - or cannot - wear
Their influence is rife.
Polo necks are forbidden
No matter what the fashion experts say
And though I had several new ones,
I had to give them all away.
For necklines must be 'V'
Or cut low at neck and nape
So that if a hot flush should arrive
It has a route of escape.
If a flush comes on in company
The conversation fades and dies
Friends look on in amazement
As before their very eyes ...
A scarlet tide surges up
Like a flaming Severn bore
Reaching to the roots of my hair
And what is more ...
It lingers for several seconds
And by the time it fades away
|My friends have quite forgotton
What they were going to say!
But every cloud has a silver lining
And as calories equal heat
I think of every hot flush
As two chocolates I can eat.
The day's first flush coincides with
The alarm clock's ring at dawn
So getting out of bed is painless
Even on a chilly winter's morn.
|Now I am on HRT
Hot flushes are a thing of the past
No longer do they rule my life
And I am free at last.
And what about the drawbacks?
All I can say is this
Getting up each morning isn't easy any more
And it's the one thing that I miss!
To Dr. J.S.
March 1993
