Donations are essential to keep Write Out Loud going    

The time of our lives

entry picture

entry picture

Charlie and I walked our post-cancer walks
Down this narrow stretch of green in the city
For a full decade. Now he's gone, I must carry on.
We aged together, blended into each other,
Man and Dog. He recognized the smells, me the sights,
But his life was shorter than mine. That afflicted me like
A sentence. Very few minutes passed
Without me thinking of that.  He connected me to the
Pack, little knowing it was the human herd that I found
Most offensive, most absurd. I tried to fly past those nets
Of race, nationality and religion. A new Daedalus come
To cry: “my medium is the heavens, my medium is the sky.”
But we walked slower and slower each day, me clearing
Up his shit, him watching the dreary Manchester sky.
Until that terrible time came to  say our long goodbye.

 

A recording of my reading of ‘Drinking where the river bed is dry’.

◄ Milk and Honey

Roman de la rose ►

Comments

Profile image

Stephen Gospage

Fri 13th Nov 2020 16:45

Poignant and brilliant.

Profile image

Bon Darcy

Wed 11th Nov 2020 23:19

A faithful dog and his ward, helping us meandering through life. A beautiful poem John

If you wish to post a comment you must login.

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

Find out more Hide this message