A proud man, | 1 |
Upright and unshakable | 2 |
In belief and morals, | 3 |
Once only was he seen | 4 |
Without his tie. | 5 |
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A child of Edwardian England, | 6 |
The links of his watch chain | 7 |
Glinted | 8 |
As they hung | 9 |
With formality and elegance | 10 |
From his waistcoat pocket, | 11 |
Yes even as he worked. | 12 |
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And work he did. | 13 |
Patiently, | 14 |
Brilliantly and tirelessly | 15 |
With ingenuity and imagination. | 16 |
A craftsman from a bygone age. | 17 |
True master of his tools. | 18 |
| |
Grandfathers are soft, | 19 |
Playful, bear-like in their | 20 |
Gruff-whiskered familiarity. | 21 |
| |
Not Poppy. | 22 |
Unknowingly aloof from his grandchildren, | 23 |
We avoided the need for directly addressing him, | 24 |
Unsure of where we stood. | 25 |
He’d probably have secretly | 26 |
Loved the informality | 27 |
Of our secret nickname. | 28 |
I hope he knew. | 29 |
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The chapel piano did for him. | 30 |
Too much weight for his work-weary ticker. | 31 |
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Grandma gave me his pocket watch to keep, | 32 |
And for a time I treasured it, | 33 |
Feeling its weight | 34 |
Like a smooth round pebble | 35 |
In my palm. | 36 |
A workman’s watch; | 37 |
Practical. | 38 |
A yellowing face | 39 |
Behind a scratched | 40 |
And hazy glass. | 41 |
But accurate, | 42 |
And precise. | 43 |
Reliable as the man. | 44 |
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Detached in life, | 45 |
I liked to hope that | 46 |
Gazing down, | 47 |
Watching, | 48 |
He just might have | 49 |
Laughed | 50 |
In loving acknowledgement of his | 51 |
Grandson’s curiosity | 52 |
And foolishness | 53 |
Sitting cross-legged on the carpet, | 54 |
With heart-thumping nausea | 55 |
| |
Adrift in a sea of springs. | 56 |