Loss first observed by Andrew Shephard

Not quite three, too young to know why

father conducts the Third Programme

in a ground-floor cul-de-sac maisonette

while mother washes dishes, cries.

Father conducts the Third Programme -

violin concerto, slow movement,

waiting for a breakfast egg to boil.

In a ground-floor cul-de-sac maisonette

between railway lines and by-pass

the cat has not slunk home.

While mother washes dishes, cries,

boy clings to apron strings, mystified,

too young to be told Bimbo has died.