You would have enquired further I said
I thought it wrong to trespass, to invade
Someone else's privacy; it was just an excuse
The lack of an adventurous spirit anywhere within
Yet the images are carried with me, the once
Deeply overgrown garden; trimmed back
To the stubble and the bare earth beneath
The ivy and the clematis; once in flower, now clung
From all sides of the cottage and the roof
The window panes and all along the veranda
Where I guess you listened to the radio
Or sat drinking lemonade with your sister
Perhaps share a sandwich, deep in conversation
Awash with plans to build your own writing room
With wicker chairs and potted plants, in the middle
Of the garden, falling to stream and church spire
The original curtains, do they hold all of your stories
Which you no doubt told through endless summers
Early winter mornings, a view out over the frost
Your steaming tea, and double-buttered teacakes
