a small naked boy - holding a hose
blond hair smooth
mine was always fizzy
a curly-headed girl running,
running, face white as linen
'Mummy, David's stuck in the drain! '
mucking around - down the river
on Christmas holidays in the boat
pinching apples from Wagner's orchard
always too slow - running away
from mum, armed with a gumboot
God, she could be fierce!
dangerous folly - towing me in the A30
on your Harley Davidson
with only two meters of rope
so creative, lighting my shows
sliding the dimmers, never fazed
when things went wrong - ever
teasing me - first dinner with Roddy
my creme caramel like
'pieces of broken tile'
Christmases at Manningtree Road
where all the crockery matched
and the grand piano needed tuning
passionate dog lover
thumping Nicholas
tenderly when he was very old
the spare bed you made up
for Jerry and me to share
when I left Bellbird Lane
sitting beside my hospital bed
when I had pneumonia
holding my hand - every day
my dear and only brother
sensuous and compassionate
lover of beauty, I offer you
these lines with sisterly affection