Down came
the heavy rain
***** coal
coloured puddles
and you and Helen
stood under
the railway bridge
she clutching her doll
Battered Betty
close to her chest
you staring out
at the grey rain
thunder and lightening
making Helen scream
and clutching
your arm
her thick lens spectacles
steamed up
and hiding her eyes
I hate lightening
she said
what if it strikes us dead
it won't
you said
putting on
the brave boy routine
not while
you're with me
she didn't look
convinced
to a great degree
and peered out
through her smeary spectacles
when will it stop?
she said
it's not near
you said
you have to count
the seconds
between the lightening
and the thunder
and that should tell you
how far away it is
she took off her glasses
can you wipe these for me?
so you took the spectacles
and wiped the glass
on the end
of your shirt
until clear and clean
and handed them
back to her
and she put them on
that's better
she said
peering out
at the rain
and the puddles
on the cobblestones
of the short road
and the bomb site
nearby
you counted
after the flash of lightening
and the bang of thunder
10
you said
it's 10 miles away
she peered out again
at the grey sky
and pouring rain
seems right above us
she said
you gazed at her
standing there
drowned looking
with her hair
hanging over her face
and stuck
to her head
her dress clinging
to her tightly
her shoes sodden
you felt heavy
as if you'd swam
in a lake
and climbed out
fully dressed
with your jeans
and shirt wet through
clinging to you
I'm cold
she said
her teeth beginning
to chatter
her knees knocking
she clutching
Battered Betty
you put an arm
around her
and held her close
smelling the damp
the rain
the peppermint
on her breath
come
you said
let's go home
before we catch
a death
and you took her hand
and ran along
the cobblestones
stepping by puddles
and down Meadow Row
her fingers becoming cold
her hand wet
and slippery
and she beside you
clinging on
to her doll
by its swinging arm
making its one
good eye open
and close
like one feeling sleepy
wanting to doze.
Oct 26, 2013
Oct 26, 2013 at 2:44 PM UTC
Down came
the heavy rain
***** coal
coloured puddles
and you and Helen
stood under
the railway bridge
she clutching her doll
Battered Betty
close to her chest
you staring out
at the grey rain
thunder and lightening
making Helen scream
and clutching
your arm
her thick lens spectacles
steamed up
and hiding her eyes
I hate lightening
she said
what if it strikes us dead
it won't
you said
putting on
the brave boy routine
not while
you're with me
she didn't look
convinced
to a great degree
and peered out
through her smeary spectacles
when will it stop?
she said
it's not near
you said
you have to count
the seconds
between the lightening
and the thunder
and that should tell you
how far away it is
she took off her glasses
can you wipe these for me?
so you took the spectacles
and wiped the glass
on the end
of your shirt
until clear and clean
and handed them
back to her
and she put them on
that's better
she said
peering out
at the rain
and the puddles
on the cobblestones
of the short road
and the bomb site
nearby
you counted
after the flash of lightening
and the bang of thunder
10
you said
it's 10 miles away
she peered out again
at the grey sky
and pouring rain
seems right above us
she said
you gazed at her
standing there
drowned looking
with her hair
hanging over her face
and stuck
to her head
her dress clinging
to her tightly
her shoes sodden
you felt heavy
as if you'd swam
in a lake
and climbed out
fully dressed
with your jeans
and shirt wet through
clinging to you
I'm cold
she said
her teeth beginning
to chatter
her knees knocking
she clutching
Battered Betty
you put an arm
around her
and held her close
smelling the damp
the rain
the peppermint
on her breath
come
you said
let's go home
before we catch
a death
and you took her hand
and ran along
the cobblestones
stepping by puddles
and down Meadow Row
her fingers becoming cold
her hand wet
and slippery
and she beside you
clinging on
to her doll
by its swinging arm
making its one
good eye open
and close
like one feeling sleepy
wanting to doze.
SET IN 1950S LONDON.
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