By Ron Scowcroft
ISBN 978-1-8383378-7-2
Price £6
Ron Scowcroft brings into focus an overlooked world of small and necessary lives. Whether rumoured, imagined or real, they command attention with a quiet and meticulous voice. The last wolf in England, a builder’s brief dance, a magical night of star-gazing, all provide opportunities to reflect on the endurance of passing moments.
Café Lubin, Morecambe
She’s am-dram, the lady with
Mr Whippy hair,
singing over scrambled eggs
overbuttering the toast
absent mindedly
rehearsing lines as she
froths your milky coffee,
no flat whites here,
urbane fashion ceased
when, in a jostle fonts,
the place was named.
July, it’s strawberry halves,
spoonful affections
sweet and red
as the Valentine hearts
she forgot to remove from
February windows,
caster sugar spilt
like frost over linoleum table tops,
and there, amongst the cockle shells
and sky-blue boats,
forever Christmas cards
Blu Tack snow and celebration
to stucco walls of summer.
And so they come,
pennies saved,
the disparate and vernacular,
to ice cream sundaes, weekday broth,
to buy their colourised postcards
of the pier that disappeared,
it only rained at night
someone always writes.
Seasons to savour:
Victoria sipping soup,
notebook by her side,
and Eric, glasses askew,
dancing sand and sunshine
through the ever open door.