Mid morning brought proofs and picture images for the BM’s upcoming Heroes Villains & Victims of Leeds. Not quite a book box but substantial all the same.
A lunchtime delivery was a huge box filled with author copies of The A-Z of Yorkshire Murders and Yorkshire’s Murderous Women. Two more to add to my ‘grim and gruesome’ collection he tells me. And those are just his January and February books – in the coming year, we can look forward to : Revised editions of Straightforward Guides to Creative Writing/Freelance Writing/Performance Poetry, Plain Clothes and Sleuths: A History of Detectives in Britain, Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in Grimsby, Spies in the Empire, another (joint) guide to Creative Writing . . . Phew!
Not just a Babe Magnet, you see!
So – as talking to several people yesterday reminded me about this – let me share . . .
Storybook Dads on B Wing
I fumble with the mini-disc player,
Reach high for the socket
(It’s used for haircuts)
The flexes are knotted, and behind us,
As we crouch in a corner,
Cells are opened, it’s like falling timber,
Officers bellow out exercise time.
Dad chooses a story to read and send home.
He’s nervous, choosing between Aladdin
And The Badger’s Bath. Wearing his grey tracksuit
He is not like a dad. At visits though, it’s his face
That matters. Now it’s his voice,
At first quiet, shaky, hesitant.
But now we’re into the badger’s story
I’m not there anymore; it’s him and his daughter.
Hello Rachel, it’s your dad here.
I love you and I want to read you this.
Love, dad.
He reads, then stops. ‘I can’t do this!’
But I urge him on and smile.
He almost chews the mike to hide the noise.
For five minutes, I’m not there at all
And he’s not doing time. Carefree,
he ends with a song.
‘I made that one up. She likes songs.’
I carry away eight minutes of happiness.
Never thought you could measure that.
© Stephen Wade 2006
Yep – not just a Babe Magnet.And yes, Marilyn (thank you) - very special to me
4 comments:
Gorgeous. Totally, spine-shiveringly, tear-jerkingly gorgeous.
(and the poem, too...)
LOL, India!
Kate - we had this conversation yesterday. But I'll repeat: it's the last two lines that really hit hard. (Waves to Dr Wade and reminds him that the house history book is coming his way when I get my copies later this week...)
Ah...be still my beating heart...!
lovely, and not just a babe magnet, a gentleman and a scholar...
x Daisy
Beautiful. Thanks, Steve. (And Kate for sharing!)
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