tea in the bedsitter, by Annest Gwilym

Tea in the Bedsitter, by Harold Gilman (Britain) 1916

tea in the bedsitter

inspired by the painting by Harold Gilman, 1916

summer beats down on my Maple Street bedsitter
highlights many empty chairs in this small blue room
their backs as straight as headstones

Amelia came to see me   to tell me about her telegram
I listen   although if she mentions white feathers again
I will leave   walk straight out into the Fitzrovia afternoon

she purses her mouth   face pinched
I look away   listen to Mrs Mounter downstairs
as she sweeps a clean floor   polishes unused crockery

Mrs Mounter came earlier with her Brown Betty
full of steaming tea   which sits untouched on the table
among empty plates and cups

the newspaper she brought was full of pretty names
Somme   Picardy   Verdun   Amiens   Flanders
where our boys and men have gone

the smell of freshly baked bread rises from downstairs
makes my empty stomach somersault
while the tea cools in the pot   undrunk

still Amelia stays   her loss as thick as dust
while the sun changes direction   slants
through lace curtains onto my face and neck

Annest Gwilym
​
Annest Gwilym is the editor of the webzine Nine Muses Poetry. Her writing has been widely published, both online and in print. She has both won and been placed in writing competitions. Her second book of poetry - What the Owl Taught Me – will be published by Lapwing Poetry in 2020.