THE FELIX POST UNIT WAS A DAY CENTRE FOR OLDER ADULTS AT THE MAUDSLEY HOSPITAL. IT WAS CLOSED DOWN IN 2008 FOR NO APPARENT GOOD REASON. MANY OF ITS SERVICE USERS WERE FROM THE BAME COMMUNITIES OF SOUTH LONDON.
THE FELIX POST BOX I will put in my box A confirmation certificate And words of praise for my bishop My husband’s compassion And the heart beat of the sea. I will put in my box Chinese firecrackers that Spit and spark at the devil. Silhouettes of palm trees And lighting during the monsoon. I will put in my box A teenage tomboy Forever-happy climbing mango trees, A far away memory of a mother’s laugh And a fisherman’s hook. I will put in my box Only good stuff A glowing friendship and A sweet cup of tea. I will put in my box My youth and All the fun of the fair With donkeys and candlyflosss. I will put in my box The smell of my first baby A lot of understanding And a day in the New Forest in a church Waiting to hear Dancing Queen playing the organ. I will put in my box A guinea pig from long ago So sensitive and soft, squeezing into a ball like a cat An orange tree I climbed, Scared of nothing and such rewards! I will put it in my box The circus at Blackpool and dancing girls in swimsuits, The smell of a mango And juice of a young coconut. My box is made of Garden scents and music With ribbons and buttons and all sorts On the lid. You can unlock it by wishing quietly. I shall keep my box High on a roll of thunder And watch the dice As they tumble down An evening on the beach. ALICE HAYCOCK CLARICE PORTER SHIRLEY RICHARDS LUCILLE POWELL LIX JELINEK HUBERT CLARKE IRENE PRATT
THE CREEKSIDE HERMIT 