The Angel at the top of the tree
Fluttered its wings
Just once
At me.
A trick of the light –
My logical brain
Sought to explain
And yet, was I right?
It happened again.
Was I tired? Overwrought?
No, but I could not remain
Impassive to this white
Thing she had bought.
A wisp of cloth with wings of gauze
Had made me question all the laws
Of reason;
I did not expect
This startling effect
For £1.99
It opened my mind.
Claire-Louise Price
Parents’ evening is in full swing.
The buzz of conversation
Echoes through the hall.
We make the rounds of teachers
Sitting at small tables
Discussing progress with attentive mums and dads.
Quick – the English teacher is free
We dart to her table
Increasingly concerned by the messages we’ve heard:
He needs to concentrate more in class,
Organise himself to get his coursework done.
It’s his GCSE year
Whatever are we going to do?
The teacher checks her register for latest marks.
Waiting, anticipating more bad news,
My dismayed gaze goes past her shoulder
To a bronze memorial on the wall
Dedicated to ex-pupils who died for their country
In both World Wars.
The list of names is shockingly long.
The teacher looks up into my eyes.
‘Yes,’ she says quietly,
Without turning round.
‘It’s awful, isn’t it?’
For a full minute
I am silent.
Claire-Louise Price
Maybe
Who knows?
Like a leaf
Caught in the swirling wind
Round and round it goes.
A thought in my head
Becomes a decision:
Not ‘now’
Not ‘sometime’
Not ‘never’
Just…
Maybe.
Claire-Louise Price
I met him at St Pancras
Straight off the train
How could I not?
‘At times like this
He needs me’
Or so I thought.
Olympic hopes dashed
By stronger players
He’d helped to recruit
Only to be outshone
Now dropped from the team
And sent home.
He strode along the platform
Towards the barrier
Months of training
Had honed his physique
But the kit bag he shouldered
Was heavy with disappointment.
We went for a coffee
And a sandwich
In a cafe
On the Euston Road.
I remarked on the weather
Unsure what to say.
‘I’m sorry.’
‘Don’t be, mum.
‘I tried, I simply wasn’t good enough.’
He sat up straight and smiled,
Put it all behind him,
And in that instant
Won Gold.
Claire-Louise Price
A pinch of Gallic je ne sais quoi
A kilo of confidence, of scale and presence
A soupcon of tradition, of history, and stories to tell
A tinge of sadness for times past
A dollop of laughter, happy families and friends
A lingering aroma of continuity through generations
A long, lazy lunch on the terrace
While lizards flicker in the heat
And warmth exudes from mellow stone.
Celebrating the 60 year reign of Queen Elizabeth II, our
Dedicated
Inspiring
Awesome
Majestic
Original
Noble
Dutiful
Sovereign
