For one whole summer
Adam’s mum would take us
to work with her
She had a strange name
that sounded like the word
‘Chair’
I knew nothing of late trains
then
the words ‘overdue’ and ‘payable’
held little
to no weight in my tiny head
that was covered in vey soft
straight brown hair
Adam’s mum worked in the
countryside
at a garden centre
All that green
made it all ok
Exploring fields
full of cowpats and cobwebs
became
our daily mission
at a nearby farm
we found a pen full of
pigs
balancing our scuffed football shoes
on the first few rungs of the gate
we could lean in
and almost touch
the sparse bristles on their
pink bacon backs
we fed them
but never with food
we fed them anything we could find
stones, nettles, brick, mud,
wrappers,
a glove,
a plastic fork and any other piece
of odd scrap
they gobbled it all up
and we shrieked with laughter
delighted
in our pre-pubescent choir boy
tones
I often wondered
if they would eat Adam
or Me
or Adam’s mum
When we fought
we threatened
to feed prized possessions
to those horrible greedy mouths
goalkeeper gloves,
coins,
sweets
and a thick wad of stickers
all came close
dangling
at the
tips
of our clumsy hands in the heat
of torment
that summer ended at some point
I don’t remember when
the last time I saw Adam
was some years later
he sped past me on the high street
in a yellow sports car
I’ve no idea
what fate befell his mother with the odd name
or
if the pigs ever got full
I still think about them though
sometimes I get a whiff
the smell of the hot sun
drying out their shit
and
the stink
of that awful watery trough
I close my eyes
and feed them
feed them letters from the bank,
newspaper articles about the economy,
pop singers, pension plans and poorly paid
jobs
yeah
let the pigs have the lot
Comments
jolono | May 29, 2012 - 16:45
I liked the way it was going and then absolutely loved the ending! If only we could!
Blessing | May 29, 2012 - 17:05
A mischievous romp from childhood to adulthood with such a graphic portrayal of the shift in perspective.
scratch | May 29, 2012 - 17:39
Both the above comments are spot on. A superb ramble across age and experience. Puts us right there, just really, really wonderful.
the unfolding head | May 29, 2012 - 20:09
thank you jolono, if only, if only. thanks for reading!
the unfolding head | May 29, 2012 - 20:11
nice one Blessing. I'm happy you enjoyed it. Your comment is a real boost. Thanks
the unfolding head | May 29, 2012 - 20:14
thank you scratch, means a lot. I appreciate you reading it and I'm very chuffed indeed with the feedback.
SundaysChild | May 29, 2012 - 20:47
Wonderful poem
Parson Thru | May 29, 2012 - 22:08
Hits the spot again mate. Well done!
shoe | May 30, 2012 - 09:02
Thoroughly enjoyed it, a bit special methinks!
agnelli | May 30, 2012 - 09:12
Great stuff.
tcook | May 30, 2012 - 11:57
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Get a great reading recommendation most days.
the unfolding head | May 31, 2012 - 12:06
thanks Sundays, cheers
the unfolding head | May 31, 2012 - 12:07
hey thanks PT! Letter in prog, check the post
the unfolding head | May 31, 2012 - 12:07
really appreciate the comment shoe. Thanks for reading, very happy you enjoyed it.
the unfolding head | May 31, 2012 - 12:08
nice one Tony - always a buzz! chuffed :)
MistakenMagic | June 1, 2012 - 11:41
Stunning poem! Especially love this stanza:
"I knew nothing of late trains
then
the words ‘overdue’ and ‘payable’
held little
to no weight in my tiny head
that was covered in vey soft
straight brown hair"
I was there at the farm with you and saw the flash of the yellow sports car - a vivid and poignant picture. Well done!
Magic xxx
catherine poarch | June 1, 2012 - 12:20
i love the smells! i love the very calm way you work through the memory. and i love the ending. it's almost like a mini film.
Catherine
the unfolding head | June 20, 2012 - 09:34
thanks Magic, that's really encouraging feedback! I appreciate it a lot, It's great to hear that the images came through, glad you enjoyed... thanks for reading
d
the unfolding head | June 20, 2012 - 09:36
Thank you Catherine. I suppose this one does have a clear line through it, 'mini-film' is a great compliment - thanks! glad you enjoyed.
d