Poem in the rain

We've been away for a while to Spain. But here is a finished poem that began life as part of a previous blog. Written in colder and bitter weather. See the blog entry for the 12 February.

All at Once

Today in the high street
bright winter sunlight,
low in the sky,
ricochets off pavements
and windscreens, blinding.
And a bitter gust
picks at me, thinly wrapped.

Then an ambulance passes
its siren blasts out,
clogged all the way
down the high street,
and my wife
and children yelling
urgent instructions
above the roar.

Suddenly I’m in pain.

I retreat to the railings
in search of space.
Rain so cold
it seems to cut
like broken glass.
Sweat is dripping
from my nose.
My glasses steamed up,
and full of rainwater.
I take them off
and draw in deep, cold air

thinking, this is my life
and I'm still not ready for it.


© David Loffman