A Poem for Cherry (very rough draft)

[DanaC]

OK...I've been mulling this one for a little while. It's a very rough draft. It is very much subject to change. But - I also kind of like that about it for posting in here. Less polished, but maybe more honest.


For Cherry


A cloud breaks on the Chevin,
Tumbles its cargo down
To the town below, where
A beaded bench stands silent vigil
The birds know why
Passersby wonder at
their sudden stillness.

Far away and somewhen else
Through the stark beauty
Of a snowdecked Glasgow
Three ladies of a certain age
Slip sliding down frozen streets
One in biker boots,
another in sturdy shoes
the third in dayglo platform trainers
To better suit her mood.

They are laughing, easy
It is clear that they are friends.
One slips,
the others reach out their hands.
They share a taxi, a meal
And inconsequential tales
of cats in suitcases,
and rings of bells.

They smile for the camera,
Wave hello to their friends
raise a toast to the flash
0f the chef’s spinning blades.
The moment is caught
The stillness of the image,
A pregnant pause
In a silent film.
Repurposed to a Christmas card.

I smile back, at the faces in my hand,
We don’t move,
Our light is caught, full twinkle.
But I think I hear an echo
A faint burst of raucous laughter.
Inside, in a bold font,
she had christened us

The Three Christmasteers

Used a photograph from the previous year,
and now
It leaps out at me
Shuffled
from the little pile of kept things,
A reminder,
Of where we were
At the top of the hill,
Before the bench and the birds