Saturday 20 February 2010

A Real Poem

In a Care Home, where my auntie’s dying,

the carpet’s red and orange, colours warm.


I have to be so careful – what I say,

the way I glance – or auntie, desperate, swoops


like a hawk ‘Why look like that?’, ‘Take

that smirk off your face!’ and, trapped by my gills


in falsehood, censure, fault; memory drops, blood pounds

and I get it, why, her tiny room is warm.

Wednesday 17 February 2010

Quietly after bedtime

…a small cough runs from a door edged in light,

muffled talk turns to singing,

and then into whispers; Shhh,, Shhh, alright,

and a sudden ask - ‘How you feeling?’


of toys laid neatly on the bedroom floor.

They always answer ‘Fine!’

till he shouts loudly (in case you missed it earlier)

‘Good Night everybody – yes, yes, goodnight!’…

Monday 15 February 2010

Hands

They poke and pick and prod in little battles.

They turn a key to get inside a house.

They twist a corkscrew into many bottles,

scratch an itching, you might never notice


several digits quietly make a difference

by signing cheques – and, sometimes, saving lives

- silent pirates, smugglers, warm, tenacious,

turn a button, link the other cuff.


They squeeze the scissors tight, join palms on Sunday,

feel the skin of people that you love,

open books, unclenching at the last page

and build up castles - so we all survive!


Without them we’d be disconnected,

they cup an ear so ‘oddballs’ can be heard:

wave, or clap, or point at, disregarded,

reach out for others others disregard.