Mavis

We met via accident-i was staying with her neighbour
when they first moved in next door
Courteously,they asked me if it was OK to park
"Of course!" said i(so generous with other people's space
and so they moved from canal life to a cottage in Wyke
Soon,by annual moon,i would return to blessed Bradford
either staying with Lynette or sometimes overnight in Wyke
as Mavis played piano ,and Geoff brought out his  accordian
She shared her book of poems-the ones she loved by others
with pictures carefully placed next to them
It was an act of love of culture like no other-
bright and cheerful as we ate English food prepared by hand
and plum pudding and custard later,
would repair to catch up with our year.
I stored excess poetry books in their church loft,and forgot they were there
A treasure trove of words was able to be re-shared
when Geoff climbed up a narrow ladder to retrieve what was there
Lynette moved north(near the Scottish border)
I visited and stayed within her caravan in rainy nights
Geoff and Mavis were my lights in Wyke
They still are-by love bound,by smiles known
by true English nature kind and open to a world
that closes down before it opens.This is a memory shared-
more virtue lives there than can be documented
Kindness,generosity,hospitality-all three combine-
they beam -these lights of Wyke -over all time-tonight.