Thursday 4 June 2009

Walking away

A childlike life will get you all the fun;

when to rest and when to jump and play;

what’s in a wrestle, settle, dance or run,

what makes a small adventure every day.

 

Of how he talked, ate, mullocked, slept at night,

worn out, stayed superconscious in the eyes,

no dusty schoolbooks, more a dancing light;

his pain was shadow for the rest of us

 

but now’s a time when children leave, vamoose,

a moment when we say goodbye, ta-ra,

and when we stare towards the vanishing point

all hearts are aching, every head is faint.

 

He glances round and says ‘merci’, ‘au revoir’

and quickly turns his back, you’re no more use.


9 comments:

  1. "Walking Away" covers an important ritual in our society, the advance into adulthood.

    I like how you allude to the times the narrator had, from the perspective of the parent. The lines:

    "what's in a wrestle, settle, dance or run,
    what makes a small adventure everyday."

    make that especially clear. Having never been a parent (yet), I can only imagine the memories the lines evoke.

    The last lines are the feeling of the moment, but certainly need not be true upon reflection. Parents are important always.

    Thanks for the poem.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Innocence lost, is lost forever ...

    ReplyDelete
  3. very vivid picure. I like

    ReplyDelete
  4. As a parent of a 17, 13, and 10 year old - this hits close to home. Thanks for expressing it well.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks, it touches beautifully.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Liked this!!!! Came across it via a Twitter post. Glad I found you, and please consider me a new follower. Fellow poet here.

    ReplyDelete