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.

[wordwarrior]

Oh my David, this is haunting and has much depth. I felt so sad for Diane, missing out on all the years of love and happiness she could have had, merely because everything didn't go her way. So she locked her heart away and that's when the cold infiltrates life. So sad and you used the analogy so cleverly throughout this.
The rhyme and flow of course are faultless as always and the message strong, again as always.
A special poem indeed.

[Keith]

I just knew you would love DLP's wonderful work. I recently bought 'Pen & Ink' off LuLu.com - it contains about 350 of his earlier poems from over 40 years ago, they were brilliant back then too, more variation styles & themes back then. David, WordWarrior is another Aussie (Victorian) and she has posted some excellent work here on WC. Cheers guys.

[wordwarrior]

You were totally correct Keith!!

[Nienor Niniel]

The metaphor of relating a heart's lovelessness to physical cold is wonderfully explored, explained, and expounded here. The selfishness, which devours love, is perfectly, pointedly portrayed, too. ("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.'/.../‘I give you what you deserve,’ she said)

I wonder about the ending. Is she dead, physically or mentally, or is she blind? My initial thought was the former. Either outcome would fit well.

[Tate Morgan]

Yeah I see this as a real possibility in many instances.However it is a two way street and love is not something easy to keep It takes a bit of work. My ex was one weened on a icicle so I can relate