Poem of the Month – July 2024 – Helen Hutton

The Poem of the Month for July 2024, selected by 2024 Anthology editors Ivan Rehorek (Avalanche) and Martha Landman, is My grandfather’s second wife by Helen Hutton. The commended poems are A Life by Steve Evans and Hills Hippy Open Garden by David Winderlich.


My grandfather’s second wife
Helen Hutton

1972
In your biscuit-warm kitchen, lined with rose-pink tiles and flooded with sunlight, you
shaped lavender-infused dough with vitiligo hands. You streaked my nose with a line of flour
and said I looked like a Scottish Highlander. When you touched my cheek, your hands felt
warm like butter balls. I dried the dishes with a faded tea towel, printed with Loch Ness and
Urquhart Castle. You spread a crocheted cloth over the red formica table, placed fresh
daisies in a brown glass jar, set a single place from your Willow pattern tea set. You said,
‘Let’s be happy before he gets home’. We played bagpipe music on your record player and
danced the jig on the black and white lino squares until you said your hips couldn’t take it. I
wish I had asked, ‘Do you want to come with me to Glasgow?’ We heard his car on the gravel
driveway. You boiled the kettle and filled the cast iron teapot. You pressed your finger
against my lips. I turned off the music and waited. 

The front door slammed. We sat in silence, watching him eat the shortbread biscuits.


A Life
Steve Evans

I was a fictional character
in my own life.
I may not have been the best
one to play my part
but then what better
cat to myself as mouse?

Just a folly, or
will I be redeemed
by chapter ten?
Now I’m stuck with it,
I’ll have to read through
to the bittersweet end.


Hills Hippy Open Garden
David Winderlich

Soft streams of conversation.
Water echoing through bamboo pipes.
Buddha statues behind bushes.
Crockery artistically broken into footpaths,
rope making with native grasses,
butterfly conservation workshops,
floral prints overalls, nose rings.
What do these gentle people do during the week?
Draft reconciliation statements?
Run recycling workshops?
Could they deploy their organic hand -crafted rope
to garrot fascists, 
or behead zombies
Should the need arise?


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