Their Bathroom
(Have snipped a little)
Its silky green fern paint
with silver-faced tiles enclosed
a square space where Palmolive soap
aroma mingled with M&S’ magnolia bubbles.
To lie swamped in scent with the wee window
open to the berry-laden garden.
Cecil and Bessie shared a wooden bench –
Grandad in the sunny half and Gran, cool
in the shade as if it was bespoke.
I could hear them planning the next
evening’s meal and feel their words
reverberate. I peered through steam
at the row of Fenjal bath oil, Brylcreem,
Harmony hair spray and peppermint foot lotion –
motley sentries on a glass shelf.
Wrapped in a thick emerald towel
I’d de-mist the shaving mirror and see
my grandad’s foamy face turn
into smooth handsome features
which my gran would giggle at when
he manicured her feet.
I squirt Jif around the enamel tub
and zap myself from reminiscence
which will never evaporate.
Hey Kat, I liked this piece and think it’s wonderful to have such fond memories of your grandparents. They sound like they were fun. Your first two paragraphs are very descriptive and give us an excellent visual into the bathroom. I like how you bring their relationship to life in such a few short lines. Then in the last paragraph, you gracefully bring us back to the here and now while leaving the memory in tact of our visit. Much appreciated by me. I hope you’re well.
blessings,
jolen
Lovely Jolen, thank you! This is an oldie that needs work and I always found UKA the perfect place to hone a poem. Look forward to catching up with your new work here too.
Kim x
Loved this Kat, I’m a push over for memory lane. You captured their lives in a beautifully different way. In saying this, I’m making an assumption, if I’m wrong I apologise. This is one I will read again.
Mike X
No assumptions there, Mike. this is all pretty much what it says in the poem. I have photos of them I took and (just like that on the bench) made into a collage when they lived in their beautiful home in Stonehouse, opposite the former Royal Naval Hospital. Thank you for your comments.
Kim x
Thank you, Trevor! (clever)
Yes, I’ve used Brylcreem before (in a poem, you understand) haha and should have realised the proper spelling. This isn’t my best work. I edited it just a couple of days ago, written in 2005, but have had the time (at last) to go through old work and see what merits a polish. This is one I would like to make better, so I will revisit with your astute vision in mind. Thanks again!
Kim x
Kat, what lovely memories and pictures you must have. Grand-dad must have had a good head of hair (Brylcreem) 😉
Gerry x.
Yes he did, Gerry. Haha. My grandparents were my mentors in many ways as well as being ‘the best’. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Kim x