Grimbeau

Gonks: remember them?

stuffed baize effigies, hand size

Felted arms, legs, hands

Little humpty-dumpties

Head on the body

Jumper pulled over head

Secret policemen

Cook’s Wisty Armageddon

Cheap mister-mannish

dolls born in an oil crisis;

industrial strife

times when lights went off at ten

Mine was called Paulus,

A little gnome who welcomed

You to his home in

Densest Pogle’s Wood

It disintegrated

After various drubbings

in the old twin tub

with a sadistic streak

Gonks became old hat

Space Hoppers were the next fad

Never had one, still drives me mad.