My Life in Words
1. Childhood
My life was a circle of enchantment,
a vast back lawn
edged by flowers, ferns and berries
and a stand of skinny bamboo,
where I played alone
but not alone –
with friends no-one else ever saw.
It was books and stories; my Dad
reading me poems at bedtime
(Longfellow, Masefield, Rupert Brooke).
It was grownups who said I was clever.
Then it was school, and failure
at sport, art, numbers and song
(myopia, astigmatism, infected tonsils
diagnosed much later).
Only my words held good.
It was loud, popular queens of the playground
who didn't like me; the ritual bullying;
the crack of the teacher's quick cane.
It was a few intense friendships,
serially exclusive enclaves of two.
It was going within to survive.
It was going within to survive.
I had invisible animal friends when I was a child. Namely a horse as my parents could not afford for me to keep one. This poem is charming and true.
ReplyDeleteThank you Rosemary. I love "Only my words held good"
ReplyDeleteA poem that will resonate with many Rosemary. Like especially 'it was going within to survive'
ReplyDeleteThanks, all.
ReplyDeleteI am wondering if the 'whistling cane' communicates what I intended? Have played around with it a lot; would appreciate advice.
Yes, I can see that 'whistling' might be a bit confusing in this instance, and also, that long double syllable might dampen the brutality of what you are invoking. A whistling cane sounds quite benign. I wonder if a more clipped, monosyllabic word might do it, maybe something like "the teacher's quick cane," I like the spondee there, it slows down the quick cane so that a reader can see it moving through the air, ready to whack. Or maybe "the teacher's ready cane" ????
DeleteI think 'quick cane' is great, Lisa. Thank you. Putting it together with other thoughts I've had, the line becomes: the crack of the teacher's quick cane. Changing it in the post now. :)
DeleteI look forward to more of your strength in poetry, a lot more :)
ReplyDelete