David J. Kelly

Suspending Disbelief

“It’s not real”, my granddad used to say, after every crazy story we’d see on television. He’d faced a lot of genuine hardship in his own life and always seemed capable of appreciating what he had. I think it would be fair to say he was a happy man. He enjoyed entertainment programmes, especially the wrestling. “Go on, break his arm”, was a cry I recall from many a Saturday afternoon. And he was full of creativity; he was an enthusiastic painter, a sculptor of curious metal objects, a collector and repairer of radios and a storyteller. Stanley Holloway was a firm favourite of his and he would delight in the opportunity to perform “Sam, pick up thy Musket” or “The Lion and Albert”. He inspired us to use our imaginations and gave us the courage not to shy away from darker images.

as he parts his hands
my grandfather tears
the spider in half