I never knew Weronika and only saw her in the family movies

Which were shot on impossibly hot days on the northern coast

She wrote to me on a few occasions and once included a postcard of Ostend

 

I was in Ostend last year and spoke to the owner of the library where she had worked

She stole books and many of them but I forgave her as there was poetry in her soul

I was given a forwarding address in Seville but this was five years old

If you could try to get a few of my books back please

She can keep the poetry ones as they meant a lot to her

 

Due to the loss of a dear friend in a boating accident I did not go to Seville at the time

But I am planning to go this year to tell her she has a half share in poor Vincent’s house

Whether I will find her or even recognise her is open to question but I will try

If I fail I will place the search in the hands of a professional as I am a busy man

 

She is running in and out of the sea with her younger brother Carl they are laughing

Weronika is wearing a pale blue shirt over her bikini and is holding a rainbow

I should have been there but I had just come out of hospital and was fragile

And not able to travel long distances this disappointed me as I needed a holiday

 

This movie and a short movie of Vincent’s new swimming pool belong to me

Nostalgia never ages it only become more distant or so I am told

I am not sure if this is true but that is for me to discover in a few short weeks