Chanela

I've only heard Paco de Lucia perform as part of a group before but this one, with his brother Pepe, is amazing. Everybody should have a brother called Pepe.

The Speak Mum Speaks

the speak Mum speaks when she’s on the phone I asked her one time where it comes from she says it’s the speak of her friends from home the speak Mum speaks like floating and laughing and the words are bubbling whispering hurrying she says it’s the speak of where she comes from the speak Mum speaks like singing and dancing like friends holding hands going out to playtime like a playground with everyone jumping I sit small and say nothing I listen and listen to the speak Mum speaks flashing and shining like jewel diamonds and I want some - Helen Dunmore

My Neighbours

My neighbours are beautiful people. She is a sprightly old lady who always greets us with a warm smile. He is a gentleman, immaculately dressed in a button down shirt and trousers with creases so sharp you could cut your hand on them. They live on the ground floor. Every evening he walks out of his door and climbs one floor upstairs and then down again. He does this eight times.

They have a red car that is gleaming and kept in a state of perpetual polish. Sometimes I see them drive away and then come back, carrying a basket of folded laundry or a small grocery bag. I don't know if they have any children. I'm sure they do but I don't remember ever seeing anyone. Whenever I pass their apartment, I hear silence. No sound of either quarrel or laughter, no grandchildren tumbling out of the door. The inside of their house looks like a photograph from a catalogue, everything artfully preserved in its place. I was there yesterday to make a phone call and I saw a patchwork quilt on the dinner table. She was working on it, moving a needle in and out of the cloth, like minutes ticking away on a clock, like sand easing through an hourglass.

We don't know each other's names. They call me "doctor" and I call them "sir" and "ma'am". After so many years of moving around and making friends only to watch them fade away, I'm not so careful about collecting names. It is the essence of beauty that is attractive and I try and retain that. My neighbours are beautiful people.