Those Winters by Darren SwiftAnd those winters we sat
on the wall watching
the clockwinders' demise;
Not in their dotage as
it should be, but rather
passing in youth's full flush
acne'ed and ruddied by the life's spring...
And those winters we sat
amongst yesterday's dirtied snow
ploughed high into cottoned hillocks
while desert roadsides blew
the life out of khaki'ed boys
and girls and we knew
it would not be long...
And those winters we sat and
laughed as your mac fell open
showing your underwear and we laughed
because you were wearing some
and somewhere a bell rang
and you said another angel had their wings
and we were not surprised...
And those winters we sat waiting
for the winds to change
but they never did, but continued
cordite fragranced over the poppy's appeal
and the women covered their faces
because they knew we watched but were scared
of the others in the shadows...
And those winters we sat
rubbing our hands against
the cold which strained against
the marrow, pushing, invading,
telling us the worst
news possible, whispering to us
of our deaths
a long way from home... 02/03/2010 Posted on 02/03/2010 Copyright © 2025 Darren Swift
Member Comments on this Poem |
Posted by Marcus Lane on 07/27/10 at 07:19 AM I've read this four times, each reading opening the door another few inches. I'll come back to it again, too. I like it very much, Darren.
(Just wondering whether the overall effect might benefit from more variety in each stanza's opening line - obviously keeping "those winters" for continuity, but substituting "we stood/lay/gazed,etc." for "we sat".) |
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