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Her Name was Madge by Alison Cassidy   
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Alison Cassidy
(6th August,1945 / Melbourne, Australia)
307 poems of Alison Cassidy
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  Her Name was Madge

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  Rum-balls and marzipan
announced her appearance
every Christmas
in those far-away tinselly days
when I was small.

Her name was Madge.
(the term spinster never suited a soul so well)
Stooped and bony,
she had long hair coiled up on top
and ankles that could have turned men's heads.
She grew lily of the valley
in her garden
‘on the west side with just a hint of the sun'.

She adored me.
Minded me often.
Reminded me
of the need for family.
(even though we weren't really hers)

She lived alone in the big house.
Nursed both parents
into their graves, apparently.
Mum said ‘he' had been a tyrant.
‘Drove away the only gentleman friend she ever had'.

Later she gave me recipes
penned in her perfect copperplate
‘It's the J nib that makes the difference'.

I recall the story she told each year
about the only time I saw her with her hair down.
‘Madge… (she liked me to call her that)
You look just like a girl -
from the back.'

She died of cancer in the end.
Left all her money to her proper family -
the ones who never bothered with her.


Alison Cassidy

Submitted Date Thursday, October 30, 2008
Submitted Date Saturday, September 26, 2009



<< prev. poem Poems by Alison Cassidy : 129 / 285 next poem >>
 
  Comments about this poem (Her Name was Madge by Alison Cassidy )
 
Raveendran . (12/25/2008 9:25:00 PM)
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Past, realistically(pictorially) rendered in the language of poetry
James Foulk (11/24/2008 2:44:00 PM)
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a very touching and heartfelt piece of lovely poetry. thank you for reading a lonely leaf and a bumble bee at work and for your kind comments.
Meggie Gultiano (11/14/2008 4:43:00 AM)
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a very touching piece..So sad, the family never cared for this person called Madge
thanks for this treat.
Love,
Meggie
Sandra Fowler (11/11/2008 12:30:00 PM)
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I wonder if Madge knew she was so poem worthy?
Sometimes tells me she would have appreciated
your gift of words. Lovely work.

Always your friend,

Sandra
Rebel Heart (11/9/2008 10:38:00 AM)
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Time, place and pathos form the backdropp to this wonderfully nostalgic tale - your characterisations are second to none Allie. What makes this one so three dimensional is the emotion and the delightfully direct but nonetheless magical phrasing that defines your poetic voice. j xx
Sulaiman Mohd Yusof (11/9/2008 12:26:00 AM)
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Sweet memory lane flashing back our fabulous moments with our once great pal.Yeah I can feel the loss you'd bore my dear Ally.May her restin' in peace! Amen.
Ivan Donn Carswell (11/7/2008 3:07:00 PM)
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It must have hurt a bit to write:

‘Madge… (she liked me to call her that)
You look just like a girl -
from the back.’

It came from a mixture of powerful emotions which you illustrate so well with modesty and deference... Rgds, Ivan
Reshma Ramesh (11/3/2008 7:45:00 PM)
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hmmm....yet another neat write abot those who have touched our lives.......well penned and keep writing
Andrew Blakemore (11/1/2008 4:48:00 AM)
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What a wonderful story Alison, full of pathos. It's a story all too familiar these days when the old are left alone without contact from their family. Thank you for sharing. This is certainly one to keep. Love, Andrew x
Sathyanarayana M V S (11/1/2008 3:26:00 AM)
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Good friends last few days it seems.......very well written with all needed poignance and pain........
 

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