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Table of Contents

To the reader 10

14

The Realistic 21

Station Woods 27

Garden birds 32

Counting down 36

The eight fifty-eight to Blackfriars 37

Bluekini blue 38

An English churchyard on Christmas Eve 39

Another story 41

Stephanie Bristow 42

The fountain 44

An enamel poppy 46

A prayer for a long-dead gay Catholic 47

Fig soap from Lush 48

A youth hostel zombie thing 49

The library boat pond 50

Encounters with a foot fetishist in a white van while hitchhiking 52

Panettone cat 53

More Martins 55

Death is not slipping away it is falling off 58

Two swimming pools 59

We’ll hang teddies 60

Here to hear the bluebells ring 61

No lie no angst just tea 62

Lettuce and lit 63

Speech for a poisoned rat 65

This sad man (A Dickensian rant for Christmas in Tadcaster) 66

Fantasy about cooking a policeman derived from a French film 68

70

(Experiment in form) A mawkish sonnet 76

Four fast poems 77

Pat and mic (songs) 79

On a tallow candle found in the loft 83

Sitting on sleepers 85

Don’t let it get away 86

Four under the bed 87

Two sequential poems about my mum and dad in the war 88

Carol – Oh radio past blast 89

Grandmother’s sixpence 90

London summer 94

A mushroom space 95

The tall wood that waits to stir the dream 96

Teddy’s cross 98

Teddy’s trousers 99

Teddy tangled up Dog 100

Teddy spins 101

Teddy and Grasshopper 102

Teddy’s teacher 103

Teddy and the tadpoles 104

Teddy and the two swans 105

Teddy and the lollipop lady 106

Teddy bleaches her cloths 107

Teddy’s email 108

Two steps higher 109

Teddy’s poem 110

Odysseus on the phone on Christmas Eve in the Blitz 111

Teddy’s flat 115

Teddy’s career 116

Teddy and the rainbow 117

Teddy’s soap 118

Teddy’s wallet 119

Lap cats (after Samuel Palmer and Shoreham) 120

The back way 121

Christmas morning 122

Seasonal advice for Snowman from the Christmas Fairy 123

Marge; or, To my phone box 124

126

The creature 132

Dreaming in colour 135

It and I are sat outside Number Nine with two friends 136

Teddy and the bridge 137

I-Spy Teddy 138

Teddy at the opera 139

Teddy’s sandals 140

Teddy on the school run 141

143

Marmite and Coke 149

Jill’s daddy 152

Big balloon 154

The Realistic (revised) 159

The boating pond 162

Teddy poems, illustrated by Pat McCarthy 171

186

Panettone cat – reprise 195

197

203

Suck-a-thumb14 208

Can you see me? 211

214

The waterwheel 220

The stone steps 222

The Lad (in 10 miniature scenes) 225

232

Sticky Whip 238

The Big Gobhole Special 241

A poem in remembrance of Avani’s fall 242

tick meow tock 247

The view from Sweeney’s 249

Uncle Doug and the pink pony 250

251

Two poems for Burns Night 257

Nothing lasts forever. Not even in space 259

I met a man 260

Worried Chris 262

While waiting at Zone 10, I noted, not for the first time 264

Flying towards the light 271

Too hot, too hot 272

Stuart stops 274

I received an unsolicited electric carving knife 275

Today Sandy has had it 276

Ernest lives up to his name 277

Elegy for our red telephone box 278

The anonymous electric carving knife 280

283

The Queen of the Night’s second aria from The Magic Flute by Mozart 288

A cul-de-sac 290

Flash fiction 291

Lift on its way 296

Feed and Weed 300

Anton Bruckner 301

304

The skateboard park 311

Pontefract cakes 312

Tuffin felt poorly 315

How can you fall from a raked stage into a pit onto a battery of drums silently? 318

For Avani while in Bulgaria 322

Two gentlemen 326

Obituary: Margareta Knotholt 327

On being unable to attend Lisa’s gig at the Wet Fish Café 329

To the reader Preface Rings Tuffin 1 The Realistic Grevitt Her bench Station Woods Chemo café Hum Garden birds Smart Bliss Counting down The eight fifty-eight to Blackfriars Bluekini blue An English churchyard on Christmas Eve Last Songs Another story Stephanie Bristow The fountain Torpedoes An enamel poppy A prayer for a long-dead gay Catholic Fig soap from Lush A youth hostel zombie thing The library boat pond Encounters with a foot fetishist in a white van while hitchhiking Panettone cat In a hole More Martins Three Swanley Death is not slipping away it is falling off Two swimming pools We’ll hang teddies Here to hear the bluebells ring No lie no angst just tea Lettuce and lit Pus cat Speech for a poisoned rat This sad man (A Dickensian rant for Christmas in Tadcaster)Spot Fantasy about cooking a policeman derived from a French film Fleeting Tuffin 2 (Experiment in form) A mawkish sonnet Four fast poems The vent commutes Waldringfield My first Denise I hit Brian Pat and mic (songs)On a tallow candle found in the loft Sitting on sleepers Don’t let it get away Four under the bed Two sequential poems about my mum and dad in the war Nippy A flight down Carol – Oh radio past blast Grandmother’s sixpence Green doors Gypsy eyes Tooth London summer A mushroom space The tall wood that waits to stir the dream Teddy’s cross Teddy’s trousers Teddy tangled up Dog Teddy spins Teddy and Grasshopper Teddy’s teacher Teddy and the tadpoles Teddy and the two swans Teddy and the lollipop lady Teddy bleaches her cloths Teddy’s email Two steps higher Teddy’s poem Odysseus on the phone on Christmas Eve in the Blitz Teddy’s flat Teddy’s career Teddy and the rainbow Teddy’s soap Teddy’s wallet Lap cats (after Samuel Palmer and Shoreham)The back way Christmas morning Seasonal advice for Snowman from the Christmas Fairy Marge; or, To my phone box Tuffin 3 Lazy bones The creature Antisanta Dreaming in colour It and I are sat outside Number Nine with two friends Teddy and the bridge I-Spy Teddy Teddy at the opera Teddy’s sandals Teddy on the school run Snail Tuffin 4 Marmite and Coke Bluebell Diving Jill’s daddy 13 Big balloon Boating BSIS The Realistic (revised)The boating pond Coppers Flat fish Bus Floor Garden Blind Teddy poems, illustrated by Pat McCarthy Television Tank Tuffin 5 Goat pie Burnt Panettone cat – reprise Tuffin 6 Tuffin 7 Sweeties Suck-a-thumb14 Prelude Blog Post: by Sampson Video:End of video End of blog post Postlude Can you see me?Tuffin 8 Shrewdini The waterwheel Kenneth The stone steps Heck Ek The Lad (in 10 miniature scenes)Tuffin 9 Tin Sticky Whip The Big Gobhole Special A poem in remembrance of Avani’s fall The queue Days tick meow tock quarters The view from Sweeney’s Uncle Doug and the pink pony Tuffin 10 Mogford Two poems for Burns Night Millicent Burns (K)Night!ragù.Arise Dawn Nothing lasts forever. Not even in space.I met a man Worried Chris While waiting at Zone 10, I noted, not for the first time.Trevor Type Pool boy Baker boy Mike Pool Flying towards the light Too hot, too hot Stuart stops.I received an unsolicited electric carving knife Today Sandy has had it Ernest lives up to his name Elegy for our red telephone box The anonymous electric carving knife Sit-in Tuffin 11 E(a)rnest The Queen of the Night’s second aria from The Magic Flute by Mozart.A cul-de-sac Flash fiction Fish supper The boating pool Who cares?Dignity Marmite and Coke Bookends Lift on its way Paraffin Feed and Weed Anton Bruckner Halloween Introduction The moon plate My kite dream Down below The trees entreat Beware the rings Electric Tuffin 12 Gerald The skateboard park Pontefract cakes Jesus Tuffin felt poorly Silk How can you fall from a raked stage into a pit onto a battery of drums silently?Grace For Avani while in Bulgaria Sandy Jeff Two gentlemen Obituary: Margareta Knotholt Egg On being unable to attend Lisa’s gig at the Wet Fish Café Floor Wormhole Tuffin 13 Contact

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