Len Webster's 'Fragments From Childhood' Poem by Len Webster

steam trains whistling in the night
the gentle daytime chug
pistons moving powerfully
forgings hammered in the distance

crack of wood in a fireplace
the selfish spit and snap of coal
caught with unexpected traces in it

the rag-and-bone man's cry
'Old iron! Old iron! '
the clink of milk bottles on floats

the bucket and shovel for warm droppings
from the Co-op breadman's horse

and ordered to put moaning Minnie on
the kettle whistles our cue
for a pot of tea

the squelch of rain in puddles
on Brindley's towpath

rats scurrying to the factories
beside the water
a hidden army of wild cats
waiting in ambush

the smell of chlorine in the swimming baths
where blue-green water hides silence
beneath echoes
and skimpy costumes
cover mysteries yet to be explored

damp washing hanging before the fire
on wet Mondays

the mustiness of the tail-wagging dog
keen to shake off the downpour

Mother cooking in the kitchen heat
Dad in his overalls
coming through the door

reflections from the gable-end lamp
casting shadows around the bedroom

disguised
the odour from the bucket
waiting to be emptied
in the morning

all this has gone
but lingers in corners
hidden from onlookers

until an old man murmurs
into isolated air
' Is tea ready, Mom? '


(c) Len Webster 2011