My Saint Christopher ...

I'm holding in my hand the Saint Christopher my mum gave me -

She gave it me the day before we flew to India -

Here, this is a holy man she said -

We all knew then about the cruel illness -

I'm an Alzheimer's girl she'd said laughing -

When I hold the medal, I remember the white sands and bright jungles of Kerala -

The tropic sky -

The fishing boats painted artless blue or yellow -

I remember, too, the lounge of memory -

Singing hymns with my mum in the welcoming church -

Walking with her to show her blackberries -

Dancing with her whilst Nat King Cole sang Unforgettable -

Then -

While snow fell -

Her fearful gaze from her last bed -


19.00
Saturday 26 January 2018

The Old School House
East Stoke


Dorset