Stan at Large

The hands large – I know from wearing his wedding ring

on the pollice verso of one unsure touchstone – he strides

and struts hugely too with my sister’s mother on his arm

out there peacock walking after he had strolled with mine,

in another time, and there is a good chance in the probability

of him being a consummate Romeo that there are more

photos of kids pretending to play his over-sized, heartbreaker

guitar. This new set of pictures confirm rather than tell any

other stories: how he likes to put his arms around her; or on

his own, hands on hips and elbows out sideways to preen a

tough-guy stance. A visit to Ghost Town in his later years

those arms still embrace, here two modelled floozies in their

porcelain smiles and one in a short red dress, no heart too

hard to caress as long as you are there, sitting on that bench.