Things

Things

Things . . . 
Things?
Things!
Just ordinary
Things.
Familiar Things.
Everyday Things.
Obvious Things.
Even trivial Things.


Things seen
Front on or 
From an angle.
Things glimpsed.
Things touched.
The smell 
Of Things.
The feel 
Of Things.


Things?
Yes just Things.
But all Things
That remind 
Me of you.
Some Things
Cause a smile
Some Things
Even a laugh.


But other Things
‘Touch’ me more,
Moisten the eyes
And block my throat.
Such as when 
In my mind I ‘see’
‘Mongst other Things
Just Where you 
Slept that last night.


At the backdoor
I clearly ‘see’
Where the anorak 
And dog leads,
Hung on the gate.
Then the wedding
Picture on
My desk frames
Your smiling face.


Elsewhere in a drawer
Two packs
Of Bridge cards
With cosmos
On the backs,
A pair of
Red epaulettes
With Green
Maternity Bars


An empty
Spectacle case.
Also ‘neath my feet
Persian carpets
You picked out.
The couch for two
In the family-room.
In your garden
The yellow clivia.


The smell of Jasmine
In the spring.
The roses 
In full bloom,
Fresh leaves on
Summer trees,
White and mauve
Petals of Yesterday,
Today and Tomorrow.


Back inside
Bowls of potpourri.
White Nagai
Dinner plates.
And the aroma 
Of roast leg-of-lamb.
Needlework in frames.
Tiny squares for
Another quilt.


Hanging in
A wardrobe
An Icelandic sweater 
From Aberfoyle,
Another from
Edsel in Fife.
And others
You wore when
Walking your dogs.


In a crowded room
From time to time
The back of a head
With hair like yours
‘Perhaps it really is’?
And on many a day
I sit and stare
At the empty stairs
Into our space.


Then on occasion 
My heart leaps
For I see you 
Stepping
Down to bed
Still wearing 
That beige uniform
After twelve hours
Of night duty.


In one hand
A piece of
Bovril toast
And in the other
A beer-mug 
Full of tea.
As in stockinged
Feet you sweep
By me to your bed.


Yes anything you
Touched, wore,
Made, or used.
Simple Things,
Everyday and 
Trivial Things, 
All those Things
Those tiny Things
Remind me of you.


Unlike the 
Pimpernel
I see you here,
I see you there,
Indeed I see
You everywhere.
And now as I
Write these lines
You nestle in my mind.


And in a flash
As I ‘see’ clearly 
In my mind again
All these Things,
These little Things,
Even the trivial Things
I’ve mention here
I miss you
More than ever.

K

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