New verse by Wellington writer Harry Ricketts.
Grief Limericks
i
I once had a stepson called Max.
As a child, he could rarely relax.
The other kids kicked him;
he was a natural victim.
I once had a stepson called Max.
ii
I once had a stepson called Max,
liked Gunn and Blood on the Tracks.
But things were askew,
were tangled in blue.
I once had a stepson called Max.
iii
I once had a stepson called Max
with needs as tender as wax.
When I left his mother,
he saw me as other.
I once had a stepson called Max.
iv
I once had a stepson called Max
whose memories turned into tacks.
Love inside out
helps hatred to sprout.
I once had a stepson called Max.
v
I once had a stepson called Max
with a head full of cricketing facts,
who one winter’s day
I once had a stepson called Max.
From Winter Eyes by Harry Ricketts (Victoria University Press, $25), available from Unity Books.