This photo won’t tell you everything about my Mum

This photo won’t tell you everything about my Mum.

It doesn’t speak of the harshness of her early life,

how hard she worked, her temper or her broken heart.

It doesn’t let you know about her many friends, 
her dancing feet, and how she knew the words 

to so many songs.

How she made all my clothes when I was young

(especially a ballet tutu and a Japanese dress 

I loved to bits)

and knitted special clothes for premature babies at the hospital.

How she baked hundreds of mince pies every year 

for all the family,

or of her green fingers that could make anything grow.

No, it just lets you know of her indomitable spirit,

Her wonderful laugh and sense of humour,

And the fact that not even a Tower of London Beefeater

Could keep a straight face when she was around.

c LM Collis 27 Feb 2019

​

Mum in hospital

They say that hearing is the last thing to go

And so I talk of holidays past

Of Minehead (and my Dad unscrewing the speaker)

Of Lytham St Annes and Blackpool 

Of Jersey with Merlyn, where I learned to swim, 

And when she came to France and Italy, with Brian, Doug,with Rene and with Paula (pole dancing at my local restaurant ;) )

Of days out for her birthday 

The Tower of London, (telling the Beefeater  a dirty joke) the Millenium Wheel, St Pancras and St Paul’s. 

Of the Eden project, Deb and Vicky

And I hope the memories send her somewhere fine. 

LM Collis 17 Feb 2019

February sun

The downside of working from home 
Is that I am fully aware of the beauty of this pre-spring day. 
The birds are going mad, the sun is shining 
It’s no use telling myself, that I can go out, 
once my flexible working is sorted. 
It’ll probably rain then. 
It’s now I want to be out, on this 
Crazily sunny February day.

LM Collis Feb 2019