Free gifts

for the Coffee Lady,

from Pookie in Search of a Home,

by Ivy L. Wallace.

These have not quite succeeded in conjuring up 

the feelings that I remember

but now I think of it,the colours are reminiscent 

of those magic painting books 

which only needed water.

 I must see if they still make them,

to add to the gallery of childhood memory triggers:

the smell of trolls, Pez machines, raffia, plasticene,

vanilla sugar, pineapple chunk sweets,

dolls that need a post to themselves,
 Something to Do, Sunny Stories, 
Milly-Molly-Mandy, The Bobbsey twins, 
Lord of the Rushie River... 
(the books need another post too),
ships in bottles,ivory handled penknives,
brown gingham, 
violet scent and Lily of the Valley,

and most potent of all Aqua Manda soap
which I haven't smelt since I was sixteen.