#In memory of Peggy Taylor Webb

I met Peggy when she was playing the piano and singing in a bar in Brighton, sometime in the 90s. A great performer of the old school, she became a good friend until she died in 2015 at 81 years old. Today, July 17th, was her birthday and I’m posting this poem I wrote for us in honour of her memory.

We talk on the telephone for hours,

We talk about puzzles and sex,

‘Bout children who’ve all but disowned us,

‘Bout hope, dreams and what we’ll do next.

As girls we were never conservative,

As women we did our own thing,

As crones we are still quite outrageous,

Grabbing hold of whatever life brings.

So what if we failed at motherhood?

So what if we made lousy wives?

So long as there’s breath in our bodies

We’ll celebrate being alive.

So let’s drink to the watershed Sixties,

Let’s smoke to the dog days we’ve seen,

Let’s cheer for the life we’re now living

And give thanks for the women we’ve been!