Month: April 2019

Hello again

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On Saturday, I went to the Hello Again Show at Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham. This is the story of Neil Diamond through his songs. Neil Diamond was a great favourite of my mum. She had all his CDs and once, when her house was broken into, was more distraught that they’d stamped on, and broken, one of the CD cases than anything that may have been stolen. We played Hello Again at her funeral in 2017. This poem is about how a song can touch us and bring back memories, happy or sad.

Hello again tears start to fall,

cascade to music’s rhythm,

slideshow casts a shadow,

reaches pain of loss

and all the days, the months

years now fall together,

implode to a single song,

hello, again, hello.

© Liz MacKenzie

The photo is my mum, taken in 2016

Snail mail

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On the eighth of the eighth, 1988, I ordered a kettle. Over the phone; in those days there was no internet superspeed shopping. I was exuberant as I hadn’t had a new kettle since 1960 and the naughty wee thing had finally conked. I suppose it had lasted well. It was my first electric kettle and I was so proud of it; I used to smile at myself in its shiny copper coating. My 80s one was to be a tall, slim model; a Morphy Richards.

Having ordered it, I somewhat forgot; life events took a rather odd turn and I continued to use the old hob kettle I’d inherited from Gran. On the eighth of the eighth 2008, exactly 20 years since my order, the kettle arrived. It actually had a hand-written apology note for the delay. I guess that’s why they call it ‘snail mail’ these days?

©️ Liz Mackenzie