The Poetry Kit |
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Jim Bennett from 56; a life in pieces - download the full text here 56; A LIFE IN PIECES (2008) |
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Growing up ___________________________________________
1 1952 The fall of Empire 2 1953 The Broken Vase 3 1954 Enforced emigration 4 1955 Skylon 5 1956 Mothers Union 6 1957 Aunty May 7 1958 The lion in Chester Zoo 8 1959 Secret signs 9 1960 Watching 10 1961 The funeral 11 1962 Cuban Misile Crisis 12 1963 The bomb crater 13 1964 The sound of splashing water
1
autumn arthritic branches reach down into the river
fish refract lying safe in the quiet shallows
out in the white water is the flotsam of Empire
the Union Flag driven by the wind churns into rags
2
in a gray world an abandond broken vase is mended
afterwards it will not hold water but it is kept and loved
in this way it has a purpose and brings colour into the world.
3
the servents rose up came at night took the children and sent them packed with lies to Australia
“Your parents are dead” “They don’t want you any more” “it’s a great life”
the children thought it was a bus ride away a trip on the ferry but it wasn’t
pinned with paper labels a cardboard suitcase carried their hopes to a continent a world away
4
anchored to the table top the red metal sheet twisted into a cylinder held together by nuts and bolts
the Mechano skylon from a distance looked something like the real thing
after a while it was taken apart the bits used in other things the sheet that was bent out of shape is disguarded
the Mechano skylon becomes a memory just like the real thing
5
the Mothers Union picknicks and nitpicks black hills golden fields and questions “Is he your son?” “is this the one you adopted?.” but she clung to her membership like a badge and often whispered “you are so special because we picked you.”
so they went mother and son on sandcastle afternoons train trips to New Brighton in summers that went on and on and on
6
a forgotten aunt turned up one day pushing a handcart with all her possessions
for nights she sat crying talking in an adult whispered voice sleeping in her sisters bed
then she stopped crying started laughing and smiling populating the house with holy pictures and statues of grim faced saints
dark shadows that stood guard over her at night
after she died they were given to a church a few days later they were seen in a skip in the church car park
7
in Chester Zoo the lion paces round its enclosure wearing a path through the grass close to the fence
its eyes hunt across a thousand miles its heart races in the chase its fur feels the fire of the sun as its feet wears a path through the grass as it turns round and round close to the fence
people watch subdued greatness captive in a cage they walk off their feet following a path close to a fence
8
the curl of cloud like whisp of smoke from a far off bonfire
secret signs around each corner
the world that everyone seems to understand as they talk in code
mysterious complex terrifying it is misunderstood when so many parts are missing
writing now starts to push open a door as the words seek to make sense of it
9
birds flock over the sycamores swoop and drill through clouds of insects
high in the branches in a world of their own other dirds nest and call
watched by a football team reject left standing on the sideline to daydream
10
in the green vase yellow and white silk flower heads droop cast a shadow across the dining table
the dust shows in the light obvious when you know hanging like forgoten words as bright as anger
parachuting onto the polished oak dulling it coating it in dead skin
the undertaker arrives shoes polished you can see your face in the toecap handkerchief folded into tiny red mountain peaks protrudes from his breast pocket the long black coat sweeps down the hall leaving the air behind him smelling like a flower shop
11
encircled world choked and breathless as if the next breath or heart beat will not come
this is it the final act of foolishness the warmongers knock their arrows into place fingers twiching eyes locked waiting for someone to blink
the rest waiting to be boiled burned or fried alive the best advice whitewash the windows to reflect the flash and sit under a stout table to stop being crushed when the roof falls in
12
long wings stretch grasp the air risiing
but here the slap of tyre on tarmac the smell of chips shouts and bellows
broken bottles wall splattered blood and graffiti
children play football in a crater
around them gulls clamour looking for the thermal
13
Why not? Why not follow? down to the valley beside the deep still water
strip swim drinking in the coolness the noise of children the sounds of splashing water why not follow? why not?
"It's not for you." a voice says sit listen gather up the sounds and later write about the furious pleasure of youth
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