stampede

arthur+martha is working at a 'Buddy Cafe' for people diagnosed with dementia - and their carers - in Salford. We're bringing together the stories of the many people involved. Some of these pieces will be interviews, others creative work. The following is a poem created by regulars in the group Harry and Dave.

the hooves clippety-clop
down the lane to the old abattoir
chasing the old animals
down the road
chasing memories down the road
like a stampede
heard about but not seen

“keep it quiet in the threpennies!”
in the old days
of the old days
tunes you enjoyed
stampeding back
grandma’s bread wrapped in a cloth
- “carry it back to your dad” -

trying to catch animals
on an open road, they’re frightened
hit em, belt em
the cars braking, breaking windows
they do it because they’re frightened
pushing through doors
memory’s locked away

in here somewhere I can remember
but can’t say
memory?
I can’t tell you that
it’s down the lane
to the old
abattoir.

Harry/Dave
February 2012

Phil, Harry and Dave editing poem