By John Hubbard
And how are you getting on?
Solicitude struggles not to patronise,
enquiring from the inclined head
and smiling eyes,
that overbear a child absorbed
in where imagination led
or old man digging patiently
a loved plot which, mulched and fed
will crop richly and without surprise.
We all get on; there is no stopping it.
‘How’ sometimes seems beyond our power:
day rolls into unrolling day –
happy or sad, hour gives way to hour,
body and flesh lose suppleness
forgetfulness is partly held at bay,
limits gain their power to cause distress,
friends, lovers fall away.
We bear continuance nonetheless.
John Hubbard is a retired English teacher. He currently volunteers as a guide at Thomas Hardy's cottage in Higher Bockhampton, near Dorchester in Dorset.
Comentarios