I arrived
at Janice's grandmother's flat
for the doll's tea party
as I said I would
and Janice took me
into her bedroom
as her gran was in
the sitting room
with two of her elderly friends
talking over cups of tea
Janice showed me
into her room
where there was
a single bed
and a small table
arranged beside it
with two small chairs
in which sat Teddy
a yellowish bear
Golly a red smiling lipped
black doll
and Miss Woolworth
a blonde doll
with curly blonde hair
and blue staring eyes
and a pouty mouth
and a rag doll
with one eye
the other one
empty space
after she had introduced me
to the tea party guests
she showed me
the small stainless tea ***
and six small teacups
and a stainless milk jug
and bowl with a few sugar lumps
do you take sugar?
she asked
I said two and she put
two sugar lumps in a tea cup
and one in hers
and poured the tea
into my cup
and added milk from the jug
she made her own tea
and sat on the bed beside me
then she poured
pretend tea in the cups
of the guests
on the small table
was a plate of small ice cakes
Gran made them for us
Gran's friends have the rest
Janice said
and on another
small plate were four
fingers of KitKat
I sipped the tea
it was weak but warm
in the other room
voices laughed
what's the doll
with one eye called?
I asked
Cyclops
she replied
funny name for a girl doll
I said
don't you remember
Mr Finn saying about
a one-eyed person
the other week?
Janice said
he said it was
a one-eyed savage giant
I replied
o did he?
she said
frowning her forehead
o I see
she said
never mind
I said
it's as good a name
as any
she wasn't convinced
and frowned harder
maybe I ought to call her Grace
Janice said
Grace?
I said
yes I had an aunt
who had one eye called Grace
Janice informed
what was the other eye called?
I said
she laughed out loudly
and then put a hand
over her mouth
and whispered
best not make
too much noise
or Gran will wonder
what we're doing
I sipped more tea
and took one of the iced cakes
we ate the cakes in silence
I gazed at the Golly
smiling at me
then Teddy who sat
with a small
silly smile sewn on
after cakes Janice gave me
a KitKat finger
and we sat
and ate those too
Miss Woolworth hasn't been well
Janice said
o what's wrong with her?
I asked
her left leg
has come loose
and dangles
when you lift her up
Janice said
o dear
I said
giving Janice a stare
she seemed serious
so I didn't smile
there was more laughter
from the women
in the other room
Janice looked at me
and said
glad you could come
and so is Teddy
he likes company
I said
I enjoyed it
and after sipping
the last of the tea
she showed me
her new red beret
and placed it
on her blonde hair
and smiled
then kissed
my cheek
best go
I said
glad other boys
never saw the kiss
or they'd think
I'd gone weak.
Nov 2, 2015
Nov 2, 2015 at 1:48 AM UTC
I arrived
at Janice's grandmother's flat
for the doll's tea party
as I said I would
and Janice took me
into her bedroom
as her gran was in
the sitting room
with two of her elderly friends
talking over cups of tea
Janice showed me
into her room
where there was
a single bed
and a small table
arranged beside it
with two small chairs
in which sat Teddy
a yellowish bear
Golly a red smiling lipped
black doll
and Miss Woolworth
a blonde doll
with curly blonde hair
and blue staring eyes
and a pouty mouth
and a rag doll
with one eye
the other one
empty space
after she had introduced me
to the tea party guests
she showed me
the small stainless tea ***
and six small teacups
and a stainless milk jug
and bowl with a few sugar lumps
do you take sugar?
she asked
I said two and she put
two sugar lumps in a tea cup
and one in hers
and poured the tea
into my cup
and added milk from the jug
she made her own tea
and sat on the bed beside me
then she poured
pretend tea in the cups
of the guests
on the small table
was a plate of small ice cakes
Gran made them for us
Gran's friends have the rest
Janice said
and on another
small plate were four
fingers of KitKat
I sipped the tea
it was weak but warm
in the other room
voices laughed
what's the doll
with one eye called?
I asked
Cyclops
she replied
funny name for a girl doll
I said
don't you remember
Mr Finn saying about
a one-eyed person
the other week?
Janice said
he said it was
a one-eyed savage giant
I replied
o did he?
she said
frowning her forehead
o I see
she said
never mind
I said
it's as good a name
as any
she wasn't convinced
and frowned harder
maybe I ought to call her Grace
Janice said
Grace?
I said
yes I had an aunt
who had one eye called Grace
Janice informed
what was the other eye called?
I said
she laughed out loudly
and then put a hand
over her mouth
and whispered
best not make
too much noise
or Gran will wonder
what we're doing
I sipped more tea
and took one of the iced cakes
we ate the cakes in silence
I gazed at the Golly
smiling at me
then Teddy who sat
with a small
silly smile sewn on
after cakes Janice gave me
a KitKat finger
and we sat
and ate those too
Miss Woolworth hasn't been well
Janice said
o what's wrong with her?
I asked
her left leg
has come loose
and dangles
when you lift her up
Janice said
o dear
I said
giving Janice a stare
she seemed serious
so I didn't smile
there was more laughter
from the women
in the other room
Janice looked at me
and said
glad you could come
and so is Teddy
he likes company
I said
I enjoyed it
and after sipping
the last of the tea
she showed me
her new red beret
and placed it
on her blonde hair
and smiled
then kissed
my cheek
best go
I said
glad other boys
never saw the kiss
or they'd think
I'd gone weak.
A BOY AND GIRL AND THE PARTY 1956 IN LONDON.
