Tuesday Poem: Found in a Second-hand Bookshop
Found in a Second-hand Bookshop
To Julia, with love from Mummy. 1931
Lines of neat copperplate
mark Pavlova’s art deco ‘Life’.
A home made book-plate
promises to ‘keep and treasure’
in Julia's childish hand -
her pencilled ambitions underlined
`Art is hard work . . . you must not
think of self . . be practical . .
dreaming is useless . .'
On pages rubbed and frayed
the illustrations peel
from double-sided tape
as teetering ballerinas dance
through Julia's fantasies.
Saturday class. Pink satin shoes -
the rasp of sugared net.
`Art is hard work.'
The pages slip and curl.
Kathleen Jones
From a new collection 'Not Saying Goodbye at Gate 21', to be published by Templar Poetry in November.
For more poetry visit the Tuesday poets' blog at http://www.tuesdaypoem.blogspot.com/
To Julia, with love from Mummy. 1931
Lines of neat copperplate
mark Pavlova’s art deco ‘Life’.
A home made book-plate
promises to ‘keep and treasure’
in Julia's childish hand -
her pencilled ambitions underlined
`Art is hard work . . . you must not
think of self . . be practical . .
dreaming is useless . .'
On pages rubbed and frayed
the illustrations peel
from double-sided tape
as teetering ballerinas dance
through Julia's fantasies.
Saturday class. Pink satin shoes -
the rasp of sugared net.
`Art is hard work.'
The pages slip and curl.
Kathleen Jones
From a new collection 'Not Saying Goodbye at Gate 21', to be published by Templar Poetry in November.
For more poetry visit the Tuesday poets' blog at http://www.tuesdaypoem.blogspot.com/
lovely.
ReplyDeleteI love finds like that, a glimpse into another's life. It could have been yesterday or 200 years ago...
Writing is a kind of immortality.
Ah, I like it ... am looking forward to 'Not Saying Goodbye at Gate 21'
ReplyDeleteterrific - sugared net, yes, i remember that
ReplyDelete