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Wednesday 5 March 2014

Looking Up

Looking Up

We waited for you
To come and join us on the lawn
The tea cooling in the pot
And David said he thought he’d seen you
Climbing the back stair-case
Not long before we had come out

And mother made some conversation
About the wayward rambling roses
Near the dining-room windows
Causing dark shadows
And tapping on the glass
They needed cutting back
And she would speak to Jenson
When next she saw him

Then David called out that he could see you
And we turned and looked up
And spotted you high above the gallery
Walking towards the round tower
The white flashes of your dress
Between the crenellations
Of sandy-coloured stone
And we waved hello

The house was looking at its best
The growth of ivy softening the harsher edges
And we admired the summer blooms
The grass springy under our feet
And we called out to you again
While David talked about the wedding
Busy with arrangements
His face shining with happiness

We must have looked quite small to you
Children or puppets on the lawn
Acting out some scene
Within the grand setting
As you regarded us from your vantage-point
High up there upon the parapet
Staring down at us from above

And the breeze caught your hair
Your eyes calm and steady
As if taking in the view
Your face quite composed
Your arms held high aloft
At the very moment
When we all looked up once more
Just in time to see you step out
Into thin air


Copyright Andy Fawthrop 2014

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