' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' Bang...Bang...Bang! '(For Helen) Poem by Dónall Dempsey

Tilly wants to wear
her yellow shoes
with her yellow socks.

Her 'buttercups'
as she calls them

but there is only
one yellow sock around

the other is simply
nowhere

...to be found!

So she chooses
blue socks with blue shoes

her 'bluebells'
as she calls them

but there is only
...here we go again!

What's happening
to all the left hand socks?

I tell Tilly
the washing machine eats 'em

has socks
for snacks.

So she ends up wearing
a yellow sock
with a right hand blue shoe

and a blue sock
with a left hand yellow shoe.

Tilly thinks
'...this is cooooo! '

Later that night
in another part of the house

where the bedroom
lives

where Tilly's shoes, socks & clothes
sleep

when she is not
wearing them

'bang...bANG...BANG! '

I ask my wife
'Can you hear a...'

'bang...bANG...BANG! '

'Yes...you mean that...! '

'bang...bANG...BANG! '

I take the stairs
one by ten

falling midway
hurting my nose

enter
the rather messy

noisey
bedroom.

Oh me oh my
...is that a sock I see

nailed to the floor
with 3 nine inch nails

the colour
of blood

twisted in sock agony.

Calmy(job well done)
she hands me the hammer.

'This one won't
get away! '

'I'll wear it today.! '