Blue Biro

When Mum

had Edward

it was only two days

before Christmas.

She was still

in Hospital on Christmas Day

and just when they all got their

lunches

Mr Mayor,

the Mayor,

came round the wards

and made speeches

about what

hard luck

 it was being

in Hospital on Christmas Day.

When we went to see Mum

and Edward

after our lunch

Mum said she did not mind

being in hospital

except that

when he had finished his speeches

her dinner

was cold.

Then she found a caterpillar

in a cold brusselsprout

which put her off a bit.

She was clever for us though

she had written down everything

we had to do with the

turkey

and the

Christmas pudding

and the

brussel sprouts

and the

roast potatoes.

She had written it all down in

a pink school exercise book.

What time to turn the oven on

and when to make the gravy.

And she had written down

how to make Quiche

and

Daddy’s Favourite Pudding

and

Oaty Wonder

And the other things we liked.

It was good.

And then

when she died

we could carry on

 having all those things -

she was still showing us how to do it.

And when you look at it now

there are

all sorts of food marks

like flour

and old egg yolk gone brown

all over the front cover

and her writing

in blue biro.