Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Kit Kelen #859 - house without mother

859
house without mother
in a Sydney mist
9.5.18


are we not in time foretold then?
here and she's not cause we want it
the flies rub greedy hands
meal's spoiled

is anyone surviving
so far among the echoes?
she wasn't herself then
not in a right mind
and aren't all wounds that way?

we haven't yet taken the last clothes to Vinnies
we've only half looted the books
there's to libraries and archives
there's so much not knowing what

it is a burden this house
signs are strange again
onwards is always back
plumbing's half bung

swim through the years here
lazy with what we have to do

so much self belief won't vanish
you have to take it away

his stoicism
her agitation
a little opera on all hours

I was always escaping
at the very least packed to go

she was a record stuck
one waiting
never out of pyjamas
Cassandra of the Top of The Stairs
and Hanrahan

then ready to go out
and always up for a drink
smokes she left overnight

we are all elsewhere ghosts
sat on a step and learned to spell
you tie your laces already

see those two boys weeding the lawn
yes it was that kind of camp

mid sixties tiling perfect still
but now no parquetry protector
the horror for estapol is gone

here's a nightie nagging
and huff
there goes the creak
of stairs come up

a shuffle
that's how the cards fell out
a slouch where dad would stretch
cocktails up and down
black forest cake
trifle
rice pud with the damned sultanas

dad was here a long time gone
but we'll empty this house of us all

have to pay people to get rid of this stuff
you do know that?

she had us all talked into a corner
the only last thing one can't imagine –
she won't be coming back

2 comments:

  1. Powerful memories. Powerful piece. Love it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree - powerful, and it is unbelievable isn't it, she won't be coming back

    ReplyDelete

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