Category: Unexpected

The Internet destroyed mystery
and debate
who was the greatest ballplayer
Ty Cobb
Babe Ruth
Joe DiMaggio?
IPhone + Google + stats = unarguable answer
in seconds.
Backup crew for Apollo 11
scroll…. 3 names
the drummed out drummer
dumped from The Beatles for Ringo
screen flash : Pete Best
obviously not.
And for teachers
homework
that required thought and deduction.

It was a gifted class
top stream
high school mathematics
take home problems
to extend
to challenge.
A priori
impossible to solve with present knowledge.

One pupil does
always
irrespective of difficulty.
His father helps candour admits
as the year progresses
and difficulty
a solution, the correct one, returns each morning.
One day very impressed
she asks is your father a computer program or engineer?
“No Miss, he’s a butcher
he just really likes mathematics.”

It is almost inevitable
finding out about people’s lives
at the time of death.
Funeral obituary and tributes
make three-dimensional
cut-outs of acquaintances and relatives by marriage.

David
married to Dad’s sister
living in another part of the country
circumstances never permitted shared holidays
or Christmas at the farm
fleeting overlap at the bus stop of family convocation
christenings
weddings
and funerals. Hatches, matches and dispatches.

A working man
his life spent shaping metal to the will of gas and torch
blue sword of flame
spark scattered fragments
masculine
manual
predictable.

At the Requiem all the children spoke tributes
of kindness, patience, gentleness, tolerance
the most humorous from the youngest
“thank you for always coming to get me
and thank you
for not telling Mum what time you got me.”
The most poignant from the oldest
a story learned in the week before death.

45 years before
at the kitchen table of where she was living
he assembled his proposal
confident all potential objections were covered
when he asked her to be his wife
she replied time was needed to think – a few weeks
when questioned she answered
“it’s a big decision.”
He put out his cigarette
and said she was right. She should take time.

Care always needed to be exercised with David
rapid witted and bayonet tongued.
Monstrously funny
thunderously black
hilarity could become attack with no warning.

His prejudices fitted around him
like squeaky ill fitting shoes
discomfiting and proclaiming.
Self image intended throwaway effacement – but drew attention.

Born and raised in a privileged enclave
disparaging of
but quick to invoke birthright.
Not a snob
but his address book fell open at pages to impress.

Defensive and reluctant to be generous
quick to deride or diminish.
Whatever someone had done
he had done.
Bigger. Bolder. Better.

Still
brittle chimera of self
breathes savage, brilliant humour.
One night
group discussion of a fringe acquaintance
about whom there was uncertainty.

Charity yields to spite
insults escalate
until the black humourist strikes say dirt.
“The best part of that guy
ran down the inside of his old man’s leg.”