On the Waterfront

Cherry

By Gilbert

Tue, 08 Jan 2008
  • 1516 reads
2 comments
 

An early morning breeze
coaxes a bouquet
of last night’s litter
across the empty acres
of this car park.

Nearby, the snakeskin river coils
around the city’s heart,
bone cold, still starlit,
dotted with swans and whispers.

These beginnings and
almost endings are only
small pauses in our lives,
where there is only ever now.

This moment, these gannets
swooping through needle-tipped drizzle,
a passing train, weeping the distance away.

But I taste your perfume again;
It cuts through the morning air,
sharp as guilt.

And your memory
conjured from the shift
of light on water,
or the smirr of rain,
rises like an annunciation

Certificate U
Poem
Stuff
Autobiography

Comments

Submitted by HaiAnh on
Some very vivid strong imagery in this poem. In the first stanza I enjoyed the juxtapostion of the litter being considered something beautiful. Then we move from morning to night with the snakeskin image. The next stanza seems to summarise these two halfs of the day and you carry on the imagery of birds and rain throughout which holds the poem tightly together. I wasn't sure about the train 'weeping the distance away', it seemed slightly bombast in contrast to the rest of the tone of the poem. The next image after this is perfect though with the sharp-perfumed guilt. Then we move on to the ending, which is in efect a reflection of the start: a morning, a beginning, an annunciation rising. Very much enjoyed this poem.

Submitted by Gilbert on
Hi, Have just notice this very kind comment, so apologies for delay. Only thing I would point out is that the poem is very much set in early morning-the second stanza refers to "bone cold, still starlit", but this is the very early AM. Thanks again. D.