MEMORIES OF A WELSH VILLAGE PART 1

  MEMORIES OF A WELSH VILLIAGE PART 1          TIM WILLIAMS       NOVEMBER 2015

THE BOY HAS AN IMAGINATION,
IT HANGS ROUND HIS NECK LIKE A HEAVY CROSS,
HE SKIPS ALONGSIDE HIS GRANDMOTHER,
WHO IS A SMALL WOMAN , A SMALL BUT BUSY WOMAN,
SHE NEVER STOPS IT SEEMS TO HIM, 
HE IMAGINES SHE MUST HAVE A HUGE BATTERY,
THAT RUNS THE ENGINE INSIDE HER,
CHIPPINGS CRUNCH LIKE HONEYCOMB UNDER
THE SUNDAY BEST SOLES OF HIS BLACK,
BLACK AS COAL SHOES, THEY HAVE A CHERRY BLOSSOM SHINE,
IN THE REFLECTION HE SEE'S SHORTS AND KNEES,
KNEES " LIKE CHICKEN LEGS " HIS GRANDAD SAYS,
BUT GRANDAD DOES NOT GO TO CHURCH , OTHER 
THAN TO DIG GRAVES HIS DIRTY BOOTS WOULD MAKE A MESS HE THINKS,
"HE PREFERS POTCHING IN HIS SHED" GRANDMA SAYS,
"BUT HE SPEAKS TO GOD I'VE HEARD HIM" I SAY,
" DOES HE " GRANDMA SAY'S " WHAT DOES HE SAY " ?,
i'VE HEARD HIM SHOUT " JESUS CHRIST " AND " OH GOD ALMIGHTY "
I SAY" USUALLY WHILE USEING HIS HAMMER " , " HMMM DOES HE NOW "
MY GRANDMOTHER SAY'S , " HE TOLD ME HE HAS A DIRECT LINE TO GOD
THROUGH THE HAMMER A BIT LIKE THOR, HAS HE  ? ", " MMM , WE SHALL SEE " SHE SAYS,
THEY ARE WALKING THROUGH THE VILLAGE TO THE CHURCH WHERE
HIS GRANDMOTHER CLEANS AND TIDIES WITH THE BOY'S INVALUABLE
HELP THE HYMN AND PAYER BOOKS, THEY FOLLOW THE GLAMORGANSHIRE DRY STONE WALL
PAST THE FOX AND HOUNDS PUBLIC HOUSE AND UP TO THE FORGED METAL
GATES OF THE CHURCH ITSELF, IN AN ARCH ABOVE THE GATES INCORPARATED
INTO THE METALWORK IS A LAMP THAT IS NEVER LIT, NO LIGHT SHINES FROM IT
HE HAS AN IMAGE OF IT IN AN OLD BLACK AND WHITE FADED PHOTOGRAPH
OF HIS PARENTS WEDDING DAY,
HIS GRANDFATHER HOLDING HIS MOTHERS HAND,
HIS HAND IS SMALL IT SITS WARMLY IN HIS GRANDMOTHERS NOW,
THIS HE FINDS COMFORTING, AND WE ALL NEED COMFORTING MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD DONT WE ?