Absence
…
Present absent lost.
He was here there
but parts were absent
lost on an Italian beach
amid 90 per cent casualties.
…
Locked in a camp
with one water faucet
and 7000 thirsty starving men
waiting for red cross parcels.
…
He never wore
his campaign medals
or marched
up and down
…
Saluting cenotaphs
as old soldiers do
at the parades
each year in town.
…
We lived
with photographs
sealed in a black box
locked under his bed.
…
Photographs taken
of pre-war days
Serpentine deck chairs
of Regents park.
…
Hyde Park
Speakers Corner
on Sundays
and those friends
…
His memories
all gone
now then
and now he’s gone too.
“Absence” First published in “Uncertain Times” ©robcullen
©robcullen fotocredit ©RobCullen
