From the nape of my neck down to my knees,
My body enveloped in softest fleece,
Rich, dark brown like muscovado sugar,
Butter-soft suede edged with leather.
The coat that kept my Grandma warm in the sixties
has kept me warm for more than twenty winters since she died.
The sheepskin hollow that once held the frame of her body now holds mine.
The suede I used to trace patterns in with my finger as I sat by her in church as a child is now mine;
The curious and loving legacy given when possessions somehow keep on living,
even when their owner is not.
Warmth, love and kindness long-steeped into that sheepskin,
A gift from beyond the grave.
When the wind is bitter and I stand on the platform waiting for my train to work,
I think of her and am warmed by her memory.
Glad of it on many a cold day,
its warmth wrapped round me like a hug.
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