hello goodbye
hello goodbye
I saw her from the window
of my signal-stalled train
stranded beside the bay
she wore
a soft green hat
a bright red scarf
dungarees
again and again
she threw a stick
for a dog to fetch
from the waves
and in between
a hovering half-dance
collecting pebbles
she put in a satchel
worn around her neck
I opened the window
I waved
I shouted hello
she waved
she helloed
the carriage jolted
the train moved on
I waved goodbye
she waved goodbye
we waved goodbye
seconds later
I pulled the cord
jumped onto the track
clambering seaweed groynes
my sandals snapped
razor sea-shells
jagged stones
tore my feet
icy crab-pools
clouded blood-red red
an empty beach
but for the dog
black-headed gulls
and a sandy stick
the dog
pawed the stick
stepped away
stepped back
pawed the stick
looked quizzically
at me – at the stick – at me
‘get my drift’
I got his drift
I over-armed the stick
far into the swell
‘go fetch boy fetch’
the dog
plunged in
swam out
fetched
swam back
mouthing home
a bright red scarf
© coolhermit 2023
Views: 1290
oh dear……. oh dear.
loved it.
The ending took me by surprise – I was trying to capture pure images succinctly – then suddenly the end swam into view 🙂 Thanks
it is a very effective poem that strikes a chord
highly effective especially the get my drift lines
excellent work. top-notch inspirational write
Oh my god… nice one!
Thaks a lot 🙂
A well thought out piece.What a sad ending for the lady .I guessed what would happen when she put those pebbles in her bag.A lady weighed down with problems.Thank you for sharing, I enjoyed it.
Be lucky,Peter.
The pebbles went in after I finished the poem – wanted to give a hint – maybe she was just a collector 🙂 thanks