Uncle Reg – Sarah Wimbush

Uncle Reg

had two Gloucester Old Spots named Reggie and Violet,
bantams in the kitchen, three fingers on one hand,
and an earth closet you could see all the poo and wee in.

He loved my grandmother even though he’d just been the lodger,
and for years after I’d receive a £1 Premium Bond on my birthday,
all of which I still have, but none of the millions hoped for.

At teatime, I’d watch him scurry about like Alice’s rabbit,
then later, drowsing in the collapsing chair, he’d rest the metal
of his pocket watch against those two unlucky stumps.

…

Sarah Wimbush has published two pamphlets: Bloodlines (Seren, 2020) and The Last Dinosaur in Doncaster (Smith|Doorstop, 2021). Her first collection Shelling Peas with My Grandmother in the Gorgiolands will be published by Bloodaxe in 2022.