Moss Rich

Memories and Greeting Cards

A biscuit tin my Booba tossed aside
I found and cleaned, restored its shape and shine,
A swarm of memories buzzed inside my head,
And now this old-time memory tin is mine.

Dickensian house, once home for trusted clerks,
Reduced to a shabby immigrant abode,
With Booba crossing – with six hand-locked kids
To Mrs Streimer's choc-shop – Hackney road.

A friend not seen in ages sends her card,
Of polished greetings... And my mind now stirs
With images of friends and friendly places
Deep–rooted in the un-returning years.

Unique antiques! Old memories have no fellow –
They can't be bought or sold on Portobello.

Moss Rich © 2011

This year Moss celebrates his 101st birthday with his Selected Poems from Waterloo Press, from which this poem is extracted.