To Tommy Thompson

by Oonah V Joslin

“They’ll be ready soon, Missus.”

“Aye, they will.”

Skin black with dust,

shouldering half a hundredweight with ease,

all cloth cap and dirty finger nails,

the coal man lumbered along our path

to the back shed. Heaving the bag

down he disgorged its comforting contents,

tossed the jute bag,

lightly over his shoulder.

“You’ll take a cup-o-tea.”

Stepping carefully

on newspapers not to spread his dirt

he’d wash his hands,

then hoist me onto his shoulder

with a pretend grunt.

As broad as he was long,

and honest as daylight,

Tommy took the coal money

if we had it but if not

we’d still be warm another week.

Yearly on cue from our garden he carried

a purple burden of Michaelmas Daisies

in both arms

laid it baby-gentle in the driver’s cab.

I imagine him

arranging the harvest stems;

kneeling in his pew,

giving thanks

as I do too

for the memory 

of this strong and gentle man.

* * * * *

Oonah V Joslin is poetry editor at The Linnet’s Wings. She has won prizes for both poetry and micro-fiction. Her book Three Pounds of Cells ISBN: 13: 978-1535486491 is available online from Linnet’s Wings Press and you can see and hear Oonah read in this National Trust video. The first part of her novella A Genie in a Jam is serialised at Bewildering Stories, along with a large body of her work (see Bibliography). You can follow Oonah on Facebook or at Parallel Oonahverse https://oovj.wordpress.com/.