Alan Peat

Slowly Grown Lean 

Ian Hutton had his own shed. There were no spades or rakes – just his comic collection. He kept Superman in a different box than Batman; I remember that. I don’t think they were bagged and boarded; I don’t think that was even a thing then. But I remember being jealous of Ian Hutton’s shed. And not telling him how incredible his shed-filling collection of comics was. 

When the articulated lorry jackknifed, it was Ian Hutton’s dad’s car that it landed on. Ian Hutton’s gran and mum were killed outright; his dad died in hospital later the same day and Ian’s brain was so badly injured that he never returned to school, never worked, never married, never lived outside of an institution.

In the dinner queue, when David Metcalfe tells me,  I wonder what will happen to his comic collection.

clouds
of foam
the dog 
looks
shamefaced 

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About the Author

Alan Peat is a UK-based poet and author. His work has featured in Frogpond, Mayfly, Heliosparrow, The Heron’s Nest, Presence, Hedgerow, and Blithe Spirit, among others. He was runner-up in the 2021 British Haiku Society’s Ken and Norah Jones Haibun Award and joint third-place winner in the 2022 Time Haiku ekphrastic haibun contest.