She goes to Germany
I go to Germany and spend time
with Klaus but he doesn’t tell Sue.
We sit outside and play cards,
we take out old photographs.
It’s the time of insects, like wasps,
which persist and make me nervous.
Picture his older sisters and the church
in which they were baptised,
the slaughterhouse where the brothers
and sisters had to work – all that’s left
is an onion-shaped building
you can see from the train.
When Klaus was young he’d take
grandfather his lunch and they made him
watch them slaughter animals – it’s had
the opposite effect – now he’s a vegetarian.
Every year, we walk in the forest,
doing things outside. This year I’m late.
Philip Foster is a founder member of the Albert Poets, in Huddersfield, and has won Ilkley and Arvon prizes. He has a pamphlet called Goose Jazz. Most recently he has been a regular contributor to Pennine Platform.