WoodsieGirl's Choice - In Mouldy Land - A memorial

Poetry Challenge 2013

I'm afraid I'm hopelessly behind with our challenge and posting months after the requested date. Nevertheless, I'm working hard (or hardly working?) to get us up to date. 

Here at Leeds Book Club, we're always looking for new poems and poets...well I say we...me mostly. 

This year, we've invited our friends from the blog and tweet sphere to share their favourite poems for a special person or occasion. 

Hope that you enjoy these!

Regular LBC contributer +Laura Woods @WoodsieGirl has chosen the following poem for a very beautiful reason. 

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Yesterday was a year to the day since my eldest sister, Mandi, died suddenly from a heart attack while out jogging.

I mentioned to LeedsBookClub ages ago that I fancied putting a poem on the blog in her memory. Just a tad late, but here it is...

First, a bit of background - as this may seem an odd choice for a memorial poem! 

There was a bit of an age gap between Mandi and the rest of us: she was 11 when our second eldest sister was born; 13 when me and my twin were born. So she looked after us a lot as kids, acting as combination second Mum and mischievous playmate.

A born storyteller, she always read to us a lot. She had a real gift for making the words come alive. One of our favourite books was a collection of silly poems called "the curse of the vampire's socks" - by Terry Jones. She read them so many times we soon dispensed with the book and just rattled then off by heart.

Our two favourites from this book were "Horace", about a boy who eats himself (quite disturbing, in retrospect, but very funny!); and "In Mouldy Land", which is below:

In mouldy land, in mouldy land, 

They buy their mice in tins

They race elastic bandages

And shoot whoever wins

The shops are full of cobweb pies

The buses have bad feet

There's homes for eaten sandwiches

Dead ends to every street

And yet the people live there well

As far as they can see

Add long as they've got treacle farts

And buttered bums for tea!

Cue us all bellowing the last two lines in unison, at the tops of our lungs, then collapsing into helpless laughter at the thought of treacle farts and buttered bums!

I just typed up that poem from memory - the book is long lost, but all these years later, I still know it by heart. 

When I read it, I can hear it in Mandi's voice, and hear her enormous mad laugh - she laughed louder than all of us put together.

I miss her more than I can say, but memories like this make me smile, and keep her alive.

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If you's like to see your choice posted as part of this series, then please contact me either at 

leedsbookclub@gmail.com 

or via twitter (@leedsbookclub) 

or via our facebook page. 

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Table of Contents - A Poetry Moment

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Table of Contents - Full

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