The Poacher (in Blank Verse)A Poem by JohnLThis subject has been treated as a short story and as narrative verse: now, for the sake of experiment, Here it is in blank verse, and I hope with the picture and its credits. Please comment on the 'trilogy' and don't pull any punches - I'm a big lad!Fidelity (1869), Briton Riviere 1849 - 1920, Lady Lever Art Gallery, Wirral. Double click on picture to enlarge. Strange kindness after tearing his arm out of joint. And why leave him his dog? His beaten mind and battered body questioned. What's next for us, eh Lad? 'Let him stew, they had said'. The constable would have let him go, he knew, The 'gamie' was another thing. Vindictive b*****d! God, he'd only wanted a rabbit or two For the pot. Always the pallid face, The hungry look Of his Lass. Y'know, don't ye, Lad? It's in y'r eyes. Good Lad, aye, good Lad. It'd be good to get these boots 'n' gaiters off, But even if I could, floor's too cold. Happen I'm for another birchin'. Last time, I'd a back like a skinned rabbit. I wonder what yon mon'll be on up at th'all tonight. Not gleanin's an' blackberries like my *lass. Or rabbit! God help her, an' the one she carries. He tried to lift the pot to his lips, but with one arm, He couldn't. Tipping it, he put some on the floor for the dog. Lad never moved; Just warmed the faded cords where his dewlap lay. The wall recorded other men's loves, 'Mary'. I wonder who she was, And that once, He could have been hanged for stealing a sheep. God! Times must've bin hard then. But he'd only been after a few rabbits. Well, maybe there's bin the odd pheasant, but Last time I touched me forelock t'the fat sod, He didn't look hungry. Still the hand held the bowed head, The dog gazed adoringly, The *lass and the child within her wondered, And went without. PS. There is a certain amount of accent and local dialect attempted here – not too much though. In the North of England (This is set near the ancient Roman City of Chester), ‘Lass’ is often used as a term of extreme affection for a much-loved wife. ‘Lad’ for the dog also implies affection but would in no way be regarded as an insult by any woman of the times John Berry. 27 January, 2000.
© 2008 JohnLAuthor's Note
Reviews
|
Stats
142 Views
1 Review Added on May 17, 2008 Last Updated on May 17, 2008 AuthorJohnLWirral Peninsula, United KingdomAboutI live in England, and love the English countryside, the music of Elgar and Holst which describes it so beautifully and the poetry of John Clare, the 'peasant poet' and Gerard Manley Hopkins, which d.. more..Writing
|