Old cars
how to give them
up
friends, time
keepers
year model colour make
mine with her
Pokemon name
how to say goodbye
she of car seats
and melting
icecreams
the pram in her
boot
then the Datsun
called Baby
who purred as I
pulled up
my favourite, good
old Baby
and yellow Rennie who was so yellow
she had yellow mates
all round town
chatted up yellow JLR
her twin
in the arts school
carpark
on open day
JLR left
a love letter
on her screen and
what about the Blue car
I just remembered
Bambino
of the grinding
gears
careering with Cuz
and me
down the main road
Honda who was
written off
a few blown
gaskets
(too many to
count)
so many dings
and tickets
leaning against Mazda for a kiss
pushing back the
seats
seems like they
will never die
I hand over the
key
and try not to think
and try not to think
(in honour of Ivysaur and all her forbears)
a poem from 1978 ---
ReplyDeleteWINTER IN PETERSHAM
Today is a fine sunny day.
I let the dog out the back door
and sit in the backyard
while the sun lasts.
There are two planes overhead
in opposite directions,
a bird next door
on the hills hoist.
The sky almost cloudless
a few more birds come
to work the guttering
on the other side.
I am thinking about Odysseus
the brave white Volkswagen
who has a good heart
but who needs a new motor
who would like to plod
out to Renmark
on a fine summer afternoon
such as this.
And we would just sit there
in the dry desert warmth,
the Murray half a mile wide.
He'd roll me a cigarette
and tell me about bitumen
in the early ’sixties
and when petrol was cheap.
Oh I love Odysseus. And 'Winter in Petersham'. Thanks so much for that, Kit.
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