We stopped for a while

to drink a cup of tea

near the railings

and the far off sea

that surrounded the fort

of Llandudno, holding it ransom,

holding back an acre of time

for us to talk of the decades

that separated us but the love

that had bound us forever.

It perhaps was not the most beautiful spot,

the most exciting

or indeed the one that cradled

our relationship

as grandmother and grandson,

the cliffs overlooking Petit Bot Bay

now long gone and clouded

by memory, Llandudno would do,

for me to tell you how much I love you,

how bleak life will be when you are not there,

how much I will truly

miss you when you are gone

and you remind me

that you will miss those things too…

life too short

and getting shorter, less time to fill

with deeds and words;

your cup almost empty,

we drain the dregs and leaves

into the gutter beneath our feet.

 

Ian D. Hall 2016