Sydney, 1964
Our mother had just died
and we stayed home from school.
Our father was quiet
and made porridge for breakfast.
We were mostly silent,
swallowed up by our relentless sorrow.
My young sister wept on her bed.
Then our father surprised us
by turning on the television,
so we could watch The Beatles
arrive in town and perform.
The audience of screaming, writhing fans
echoed our intense feelings.
How cool was our Dad,
showing us that he would be there for us
with All my loving as our sound track.
So much had changed.
We would never be the same again.
Susan Sklan is an Australian now living in the Boston area. She is a social worker and published poet. Poems have appeared in Kalliope, Pleiades, The Centennial Review, other journals and anthologies. In 2018 her poem “On passing an old lover’s address” was selected by the Cambridge Sidewalk Poetry program and is installed on a sidewalk. The Letters, a poetry chapbook was published by Main Street Rag, 2023 and The Lost Garden, a poetry book will be available from Finishing Line Press in 2026.