The Gentle Response to a Break-in
If it weren’t for kindly time, I would be watching a stranger, down on his knees perhaps, going through my possessions.
Happily we weren’t obliged to share the moment, and here the first consolation presented itself: that I didn’t wake up. Gradually, I clocked the disappearances - computer, TV, camera (with a year’s photos), gold medal, bank statements, passport - then the things remaining - pictures, papers, ornaments, books. Further consolations flooded in. The impulse to tidy up and carry on, like tidying away a dream, was powerful, but I managed not to touch anything.
(British poet Hugo Williams occasionally writes the ‘Freelance’ column in the Times Literary Supplement. His piece from October 28, 2011 about a break-in at his home while he is sleeping, is such a gentle, humorous and self-effacing description that you feel like sending him a cheque to cover the cost of the stolen articles. You may need a subscription to see the full piece.)
