Innes And Sweets 1961 Poem by Terry Collett

Innes said
want a boiled sweet
I have bag full?

Yes sure
I said.

He opened up
the bag
with his
plump fingers.

I took out
a boiled sweet
and unwrapped
the paper
and put the sweet
in my mouth.

Did your dad
ever kill anyone
in the War?
he said.

Don't know
he never said
I replied.

Mine did
he killed Krauts
either shot them
or bayoneted them
Innes said
in a satisfied tone.

He brought back knives
and gave me one
Innes added
a SS knife
he took off
a dead SS soldier
he saw
at the side
of a road.

I see
I said
rolling the sweet
around my mouth.

From the boys' playground
I could see girls
in their playground
some were skipping
or playing hopscotch
or standing talking.

Your dad met
the Queen?
He said.

No not so far
I said.

He took another sweet
from his bag
with two plump fingers
and unwrapped it
carefully then
plopped it
in his mouth.

Mine did
when he got
a special medal
at the Palace
he said.

Did you go?
I said.

No I was too young
just a baby
he replied.

Lizbeth was in
the girls' playground
I saw her red hair
over her shoulders
and remembered how
she tried to have me
in her room
that time
but I didn't.

You ever
kiss a girl?
I said.

Me? God no
he said
looking down
at his small
plump feet
going red.