Tom Wiggins, Letter Carver & Writer

Repeat after me. "Repea – " Not yet, stupid.   Repeat after me: I solemnly swear.  "I solemnly mother f***ing swear." - "I solemnly swear." That from this day forwards. " That from this day forwards." I will watch every Quentin Tarantino film at the cinema. "Excluding Deathproof." What?  "Excluding Death Proof.  I thought it'd be rubbish.  And I didn't want to watch the other one .   Okay.  Repeat after me: I will watch every Quentin Tarantino film apart from Death Proof at the cinema as long as I shall live.  "| do." Repeat.  "I will watch every Quentin Tarantino film apart from Death Proof - because I thought it was going to be a bit rubbish and I read in a review that Planet Terror was shit - as long as I shall live."  Till Death Proof and Planet Terror do part.  "Till Death Proof and Planet Terror do part."  You may now kill the bride. "Thank yo...

As a kid, I knew all-too well its weight, its shape, my welling disappointment.  It's ushered into my hands by aunt; uncle typically backgrounded, nodding with false involvement. It’s a football!  someone shouts, No! It’s an upright piano. I play along, guessing Ladder , feel my blood vessels pinching at the sides of my mouth.  All is not lost.  I shake it - it could still be a G-con 45.  If I squint hard enough, I can imagine the utopia of Destruction Derby 2. I begin to open the lifeless, unholy trinity of Shower Gel, Body Spray, Post Shave Balm.  Give me anything .  Give me the anonymous metal hexagon of Quality Streets, or ironic socks, or last year’s Now 35 - would kiss two cheeks twice for a calculator watch.

In the car it crept up on                             me smarted  like the pang of mortality.   Did Granddad leave                 a note?     I wanted to ask. But I could taste the pause bitter  rolled it around on my tongue                                waited as long as that ferry                                crossing                                    at 15 from the Hook of Holland  to Harwich.