The Devil and Demon ParkA Poem by David Lewis PagetThe
girl that captured my heart, I knew As
Angela Dupree, She
stood at the centre of every group At
the university, The
comb in her hair was tortoiseshell, Her
necklace, crosses and beads And
silver bangles jangled her wrists While
her dress trailed lace at the knees. The
hair that fell at her shoulders was More
silvery then, than grey, She
said: ‘It’s a strange genetic thing That
came from my grandma’s way!’ We
went to the self-same English tute But
she barely spared me a glance, She
favoured the sweatier, sporting type So
I didn’t stand much of a chance! I’d
watch her in the refectory As
she sipped her herbal teas, But
glanced away from the leering mob, From
their ribald jokes, and pleas, As
each of them tried to seize her hand And
vie for her every smile; While
soaking in their adoring spin She
basked in their wit, and guile! They’d
form a huddle beside the quad With
Angela at the core, And
pass the tokes with their feeble jokes But
kept their eyes on the door, She
came to the tutes all glassy-eyed, And
dreamed, not saying a word, ‘Til
the tutor noticed, took her aside, But
I doubt if she even heard. She
failed a paper on Rupert Brooke, I
saw the look of alarm, She’d
never failed an assignment yet But
I saw the tracks in her arm, Her
face grew troubled, her brow was dark With
the slide, already begun, Down
to the Devil and Demon Park And
on to oblivion! I
found her sitting alone one day And
sat right down by her side, ‘Your
‘friends’ will take you to hell and
back But
they’re just along for the ride!’ She
looked at me and she curled her lip: ‘So
why would you even care?’ But
she saw the love-light shine in my eyes, As
I caught the scent of her hair! She
wept, and muttered: ‘It’s far too late, I’m
weak, and sick as can be! All
I can think is - how can I score? Get
rid of this devil in me!’ ‘There
isn’t an easy path,’ I said, ‘But
start by taking my arm, I’ll
see you clear, though the demons jeer, And
I’ll keep you free from harm!’ I
spent a week in her unit there As
she twisted, turned, perspired, I
mopped her brow and I gave her strength Though
she swore, and cursed, and cried. There
were times that she said she hated me, There
were times that she lay and wept, She
would suffer the fits of pain and cramps, But
there at the end, she slept! I’d
like to say that it all worked out That
we fell in love in the end, But
once recovered, she kissed me, said: ‘I
will treasure you, as a friend!’ I
was there when she married a banker’s son, Was
feeling a tear begin, But
she saw me then, and she whispered, ‘Hush! An
Angel has just come in!’ David
Lewis Paget © 2012 David Lewis PagetFeatured Review
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Added on August 3, 2012Last Updated on August 3, 2012 Tags: tortoiseshell, bangles, glassy-eyed, cramps Author
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