Light in the Dark Age

Gold cherry

By Philip Sidney

Sat, 21 Nov 2015
  • 8486 reads
28 comments
 

Remember

sitting in rain, drenched

with the grey of place and time and existence

back in the 70s

when eyes rolled at ‘isms

you had to stay quiet

in the shadows and smile

if someone brushed

your body in casual inquiry

as though examining fruit

or flicking through vinyls

on a market stall

you smelt of Charlie

some grammar boy gave you

you should have been pleased

that he liked your look

smoking No.6 under your hood

becoming one with the wet

waiting for it to wash you away

past the NF graffiti on the concrete wall

out to the estuary

where

you hadn’t believed

that strange shaft of light

was a blessing from

another time

a sign

that it might be

worth staying. 

Certificate 12
Poem
Inspiration Point (work that responds to our weekly writing cue)

Comments

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

the seventies to a tee in all their dreariness. Beautifully detailed

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thanks insert.  

Thank you for the cherries.

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

Dark age indeed, Helen. The 60s were much more exciting.
Good write.

Luigi x

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thanks Luigi,  the sixties do sound like an exciting time.  :)

Submitted by Denzella on

Loved this. I used to smoke No 6.  Did they have coupons?  And an ology in the seventies meant you were  a scientist.  Really liked the way you put this together and re-created the seventies, for me at least.

Moya 

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thanks Moya!  I'd forgotten about the coupons, Embassy had them too, but No. 6 were cheap and the thing. :)

Submitted by london_calling79 on

Your poems are little car journeys. They never fail to encapsulate the feeling of a time and place. They also give me space to think. 

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thank you so much LC, what a lovely comment.   Funny too as I seem to spend my life commuting and between work phases I'm on journeys and dreaming - must seep in. smiley

Submitted by blackjack-davey on

what  a snapshot!

the gropers officially tolerated, Charlie, what about rope soap? my aunt used to wear about fifteen in the bath for extra buoyancy

the sense of drizzle, wet earth and estuaries, feels like there should be a body in some shrubbery

the idealism of 60s (barrett's glissando guitar) gave way to hedonism, moon boots and David Bowie

the shaft of light is the transforming detail. it was worth staying. visitors from a moonage dream peeked though a crack in the sky

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thanks BJD. smiley

Submitted by jeand on

Hi Helen

Very lovely imagery in this poem. We can see and hear and feel your experiences.

Jean

Jean Day

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thank you Jean.  smiley

Submitted by Bee on

Beautifully captured. Loved the continuation as it streamed through the one long sentence. Just wondering if you needed the full stop at the end. Or the capital at the start. Took me back. 

Bee

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thanks Bee.  You could be right about the punctuation,I'll have a think.  :)

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

This is our Facebook and Twitter Pick of the Day!

Get a great reading recommendation every day

Please share and retweet

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Well, thank you so much!  smiley

Submitted by MJG on

Especially the feel of the rain, the way her body was touched and smoking with hood up.....the light and estuary, sumptuous images...

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thanks MJG.  Strange how miserable moments can be transformed into poetry.  :)

Submitted by celticman on

I wish I'd been alive in the seventies, but I lived in Clydebank. This reminded me of it, but was far too glamourous. 

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

You're a spring chicken from a timeless well of inspiration, celticman.  :)

Submitted by hudsonmoon on

This was lovely. I'm of an age where the only thing I recall of the 70's was disco and how alien it was to me. Felt like another planet. Always a pleasure to come across something that flows so well and conjurs up images of another time.

Rich

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thanks Rich.  It was another time, the miracle that it passed is one I appreciate.  :)

Submitted by Pat G on

It was worth staying - to trigger nostalgia in those who were there, to tell the young about that grey, groping, NF era. 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thanks Pat. 

Submitted by Sim on

This lean peom beautifully evokes the sweet sadness and hope of youth.

Sim

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thank you Sim.  :)

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Thought I'd pop by and read your work Helen,

what a surprise to find this piece. You captured so much about my youth. Loved the lines:- When eyes rolled at 'isms you had to stay quiet in the shadows and smile if someone brushed your body in casual inquiry as though examining fruit or flicking through vinyls on a market stall. I used to love going to record fayres in Bristol, we had so many, so I thought this was a great metaphor.

Beautifully mastered and thank you for sharing.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thank you so much Jenny, so pleased you like it. smiley