Clearing Grandma's House by Paul Waring

Clearing Grandma's House

The familiar parlour smell

Of dining table oak

Reads like a collection

Of days, crumbs of

Conversations, aromatic

Smoke and laughter,

Tears of life and death.

Grandfather clock chimes

Recall Sunday lunch at two.

Pops, pipe-to-lips one end

Dad the other. I spectate

Their centre court tennis

With gramaphone applause.

Kitchen chatter wafts closer.

Mum serves heaven-scented

lamb. Nan, ciggie-rich, kisses

My cheek and we begin.

Her passing called time

For this table, this rooom.

House clearance men outside.

No turning back now.

Paul Waring lives in Wirral, UK. He resumed writing poetry in 2016 after retiring as a clinical psychologist. His varied career also includes menswear design and in the 1980's he was a singer/songwriter. His work has been published in Reach Poetry magazine and will feature in Eunoia Review and The Northampton Poetry Review in June 2017. You can read more of his poems at https://waringwords.wordpress.com