From Lighter Music

1 The Sound of Sunday Afternoon

Greensleeves.
Quality ices -
Mind that child.


2 Coincidence

The fridge shudders to a stop,
air from the extractor fan
brushing the back of my neck.


3 Jarrow Elvis in the Doorway of the Ben Lomond

Sucking on a tab,
feet set apart,
he takes one step forward
and one step back,
blowing out the smoke.


4 Mark

The vaccination mark
on my mother’s upper arm:
an uneven circle
of indented skin,
paler than the rest.

A careless mark
from a careless time
before I was born,
staring back at me
like a half-closed eye.


5 The Toad

Hooded, blistered,
the toad retreats
under granda’s footpath
in 1961.

We both bend to see
where the toad has gone,
but it’s too dark to see anything
but the shapes of stone.


6 Benediction

The box within the box within the box
contains the Sacred Heart, curative
silver and gold inscribed doors turning inward
like angels’ wings during Benediction.


7 Empty Deckchair

Wind catches the canvas,
punching out loud stripes.
Things gone wrong clothe the summer.
Listen: the unfinished music
of children’s voices
worn down on the blue air.

Terry Kelly