CrumpArt

I’m sure it’s probably still February 2 somewhere in the world, so here’s my contribution to the silent poetry reading. It’s by Roger McGough, and I first read it in my year nine poetry anthology. It stuck with me, and I found it again recently as I went through an old sketchbook.

You and I

I explain quietly. You
hear me shouting. You
try a new tack. I
feel old wounds reopen.

You see both sides. I
see your blinkers. I
am placatory. You
sense a new selfishness.

I am a dove. You
recognise the hawk. You
offer an olive branch. I
feel the thorns.

You bleed. I
see crocodile tears. I
withdraw. You
reel from the impact.