Tony Cousins: ‘Boyd Vickery’ and ‘My Mother in Her Last Years’

Boyd Vickery

An old-fashioned storefront, with plain tables
And unvarnished floors, was pretty much
His home. He bought and sold unusual books,
Dealt with odd dealers and obsessed collectors.
His passion was the horses. His collection—
Paintings of colonial racing scenes—
Stayed out of sight, kept in a private room.
Discernment shaped it, born of love and knowledge.
But he knew much beside, which he shared
Without pride or rancour. Gentlemanly,
Quick-witted, generous, and fond of a joke,
He watched the world drift past his shop in Redfern,
And into it. Everybody knew him.
No one was his enemy. He survived
Into alien times, and moved on.

Tony Cousins

My Mother in Her Last Years

Brightly dressed, refusing to be humbled
by physical decline, and ignoring
its whispers about nursing homes and death,
she’d read, take day trips, stare across the trees
toward the distant city and the harbour.
Cautious steps would gradually take her
to a local café. There she’d chat
about her war…