Alison Cassidy - ! ! Just Gus

The Gossips
stand proudly
on their shelf above the kitchen -
a singular reminder
of Gus McLaren -
friend, cartoonist, animator
and potter extraordinaire.

I remember
pouring Gus
into his battered Combi,
after many a Sixties party -
when the claret
came in flagons
and cigarette smoking
was still sexy.

Gus was an artist.
Everything he touched
drew the eye.
A leftie and a larrikin,
he threw pots with ease
and a precision that amazed.

Gus never stood upright.
He leaned.
He was loose-limbed and affable.
His long hair hung limply,
His head listed to one side.

Mum didn't really approve of Gus,
but she liked him, I know.
She used to boast
how Gus told her once
that David and I were
'the best brought up kids in Warrandyte'.

I think she agreed with him.

Gus loved chess.
In his cups,
he could take an hour
to make a single move.
And he usually won.

His pottery was original and quirky.
Each piece held a fragment
of his cartoonist past.

He died last year.
I heard he had dementia.
Apparently the family are still fighting
over the will.

Alison Cassidy

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/just-gus/