When I go out I am no longer me

When I go out I am no longer me
Not a woman, not a poet nor clown
My stick confers invisibility.

My singing voice is now an enemy
“Talking to herself ” is written down
When I go out I am no longer me

Madness, crime and sin are easier
Like entry into studies labelled brown
My stick confers invisibility.

And if my grooming is what some call free
It stops me  spending money in the town
When I go out I am no longer me

I drink sherry, wine and Earl Grey Tea.
Before I get the habit, a nun’s gown
My stick confers invisibility.

Yet if by chance I wear a sullen frown
The bus conductor says I put him down
When I go out now, dead men stare at me
My stick confers invisibility.