Icicles

‘There were icicles hung from the window-sill

At dawn, when I thought to peep,

And the snow’s built up to the top of the door,

It must be six feet deep.’

Diane was shivering under her gown

When she crawled back into bed,

‘You’d better go out and fix it, Phil,’

‘Too late for that,’ I said.

 

I’d peered on out of the window and

The sun was shining bright,

The birds were twittering in the trees

Awake in the early light,

There wasn’t a sign of ice or snow

At the door, or window-sill,

I went to check on Diane, because

I thought that she must be ill.

 

She lay, still shivering in the bed

I thought that she had the ague,

‘The ice is deep in your soul,’ I said,

But her eyes were cold and vague,

‘The ice is there on the window ledge

And the snow is piled at the door,

Go out and clear it away for me

Before it spreads to the floor.’

 

I stopped to look at the mantelpiece

At the picture of our son,

She’d cut him off with never a word

For some trivial thing he’d done,

We hadn’t seen him for seven years

And he never phoned or called,

She’d not shed even a single tear

And for that, I was appalled.

 

‘The cold is eating my very bones

I can feel it creeping in,’

She seemed so suddenly old and grey

(There are several types of sin).

‘Will you not go out and shovel the snow

For the wife that you used to love?’

‘I would if the snow was at the door,

But the sun is bright above.’

 

‘You haven’t loved me for years,’ she said,

‘You never do what I want!’

‘Love is a two-way street,’ I said,

‘Not a one-way covenant.

Before we take, then we have to give

So the feeling is returned,

But you’ve locked yourself in your tiny soul

And you’ve left me feeling spurned.’

 

‘I give you what you deserve,’ she said

‘Since you let our daughter go,

You let her marry beneath her,

As I said, ‘I told you so!’

‘You made our daughter unhappy, by

Rejecting the one she loved,

You wouldn’t go to the wedding, so

She said that she’d had enough!’

 

‘The ice has formed on the ceiling now,

Why can’t you feel the cold?’

‘The ice and snow that you’re seeing is

The ice cave of your soul.’

‘I’ve hated you for many a year,’

She spat, and she said it twice,

‘That’s sad, for I’ve always loved you,’

I began, but her eyes were ice.

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

It's a wonder to me how love never warms the heart of those who cannot love. Spitefulness, envy, greed, hate, anger ... these are the icicles that pierce the heart, robbing it of its life blood, leaving it a lonely and empty shell. In the end, that person becomes entombed by his/her own dirt. It fills the mouth until they are silenced forevermore.

[Dennis White]

This poem reaches deep and touches the nerves of feelings of sadness and regret. Good narrative work with a poignant ending, thanks for sharing the work with me.

Dennis

[Robert Lindsay]

That sort of compulsive icy spitefulness is something baffles and frustrates us when we see it in others.
All the more reason to banish it from ourselves and never let it take hold.
Wise writing as always David!

[Enid Blake]

I enjoyed this, I'm currently working on a poem which heavily features the magic of snow, luckily it's not quite the same as yours - phew! Lol :) I like how you've interpreted the subject of the cold in this though.

[TL Boehm]

a frozen heart - a chilly tale and a lesson learned! Well penned!

[Mark]

How ironic, that her heart closed because he gave their daughter sage advice, but she had spurned her own son for some "trivial thing", apparently as a means of "Told you so" against him! How often adults use their children as pawns in their power games, and cannot see the harm, both short and long-term, that they do them, and themselves. As always, my friend and mentor, you have cast an unwelcome lamp upon the petty foibles of human nature, our weaknesses and our idiocies!

[Raya]

It is so sad for both the wife and the husband because it is obvious the husband loves her even though she treated him like crap, but the wife was sad because she never understood what true happiness was. Very well done! :) I can't wait to read more

[Marie]

I vaguely remember a story about the "Ice Queen"...this reminds me of it...

[Keith]

Brilliant David! Setting the scene with those vivid descriptions and instilling the sensation of cold set this one up perfectly to deliver the real message. We felt the coldness of this woman's heart and the lines
‘The ice and snow that you’re seeing is
The ice cave of your soul.’
‘I’ve hated you for many a year,’
She spat, and she said it twice,
...just makes us loathe her.

[Tom]

Ah indeed, a cold, heartless, bitter woman who looks as if she's about to become a very lonely one too and what's more, I've no sympathy for her !