In lockdown, to continue revisiting some of the 60-70 poems written in summer 2017 (don’t worry I’m not gonna post them all!), I present prose penned to a higher being, pleading my moribund father be granted more familial time.
Who that being was/is I don’t know. But regardless if it was one of the Holy Trinity or the grim reaper, this plea fell upon deaf ears. Not that I thought so at this emotionally exhausting time, but in hindsight the discarding of this wish was a blessing. After all this beautiful man, whose paternal qualities I could never begin to repay, was in such pain.
Anyhow below sits a floundering poetic effort at buying the old man some more time:-
Plea For Flight Delay
Existential departure lounge
Sorry, but passport bereft traveller can’t venture
Instead, seeking return to bosom of brood
Akin to kin, interim delay in one way flight sought
He’ll return eventually, aware avoidance not option.
Where art aviation controllers strike?
Where art handlers o’ baggage mischief?
Where art failure technical?
Where art meteorological interference?
Conspicuous by absence, undesired smooth path bequeathed.
Traveller aware no brood escapes pain of departure
His kin expectations unreasonable not
One more for the road, as proffered by Francis Albert
As family of Caledonian name seeking boarding higher than Gate 81
Clan Destine in the dark
Roy Castle advocated value of dedication
Keith Richards dabbled with medication
Clan Destine seek traveller’s pain cessation
Allow once again eves of merlot bouquet and Bobby Darrin lament
A gratitude deserved by clan’s Clark Kent.