Ann Foxglove

kingfisher stripe

by Ann Foxglove

Thursday 17th March 2011 5:56 am (first posted Wednesday 16th March 2011 7:42 pm)

Grey hair with a kingfisher stripe

Fills me with hope

No longer knowing who to be

I see her, an elderly

Jean Shrimpton from another age

Good bone structure she was all the rage

Grey hair with a kingfisher stripe

Elderly partner in his leather cap

A dithering almost lost it chap

Can’t make the stairs to the cool café

He needs her guiding hand

She tends the tea cups of earl grey

Grey hair with a kingfisher stripe

They sit and talk, eat lavender cake

Surrounded by elephants of Indian granite

And moss roses and purple allium

In this hot west london nursery

While waitresses flit like butterflies

Grey hair with a kingfisher stripe

love

◄ little dog digging

museum diary part 2 ►

Comments

Ray Miller

Thu 17th Mar 2011 22:37

Lovely, especially the last verse.
She tends the tea cups of earl grey. Do you need tea before cups?It seems a bit perverse to capitalise the start of each line then not bother with Earl Grey and West London.The last verse would be absolutely perfect if you had Indian(capitalised!!) rock instead of granite.

Chris Co

Thu 17th Mar 2011 16:57

I also liked the line

While waitresses flit like butterflies

Hey Ann, why don't you try a formal structure like a sonnet?

You have the linguistic skills to deal with the strictures that brings and I think you might benefit from the payload that offers Hehe.

If you have gone that route prior and I have missed- my bad.

Chris

Laura Taylor

Thu 17th Mar 2011 16:14

Cynthia - well, I think they expect a reasonable amount of maturity, not swearing loudly or getting drunk in public, dressing respectably and not wearing the same check shirt and band tshirts for years, and to follow the 'rules'. Oh, and not to regularly attend gigs and festies and dance til dawn. I think. This certainly upsets the people in work!

I would say I'm middle aged at 43. I don't expect to live much past 86 put it that way! :D

Cynthia Buell Thomas

Thu 17th Mar 2011 15:20

You look intently, always sympathetically and then imaginatively. The process is a winner with your innate language skills.

And what do people expect from a middle-aged woman, Laura? Clue me in. And... what IS middle-age these days?

Laura Taylor

Thu 17th Mar 2011 09:57

I enjoyed this Anne. I'm going to be like this when much older I hope - I'm certainly not what people expect from a middle aged woman now so I'm not expecting that to change as I grow older :D

Greg Freeman

Thu 17th Mar 2011 08:05

"Waitresses flit like butterflies" is a great line, Ann

Ann Foxglove

Thu 17th Mar 2011 05:26

Thanks guys - (I'm not in London now Dave, I saw this splendid couple two weeks ago when I was there.)

Dave Bradley

Wed 16th Mar 2011 23:22

Enjoyed this, Ann - you're up in London again - I hope all is well, or as well as could be.

Philipos

Wed 16th Mar 2011 21:10

Enjoyed and thought the repeat lines gave it a nice structure - but many nice phrases here to titilate the senses - our best poems come from real life images rather than second hand experiences x

Ann Foxglove

Wed 16th Mar 2011 19:46

Inspired by a wonderfull elderly and very "arty" looking couple, she had a bright blue stripe edging her fringe. Made me think we don't have to disappear just cos we get old.

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