Hide-and-seek, by Anthony White
Once they lived in Murderland
Where the strong drive out the weak
Now, refugees in Muckaboutland
They are playing hide-and-seek
He counts to twenty, opens up his eyes
There is no-one to be seen
He remembers where they used to hide
Places he himself has seen
He remembers faces
Memory is full of hiding-places
Are they hiding behind the fire-haze?
The cattle-bones that decorate
The weary, gut-red earth?
He opens up his eyes and plays-
It's either that or else to hate
This outland of his birth
Are they behind the new latrines?
The grasses by the wire fence?
The gasoline bottles?
He giggles; he is caught between
The pleasure and anxiety of suspense-
“Coming for you; ready or not”
“Coming for you” doesn't sound quite right
But he remembers hearing it, at night-
He remembers eyes and covered faces -
Memory has no hiding-places
Perfect for these young veterans of war
This game of parts- the counting;
The hiding; the laughter and the fear;
The cry of “Coming for you”; the mounting
Anxiety; the mounting urge to giggle-
This is, after all, just play -
The need to stay still, not to wriggle;
The longing not to give themselves away.
The running, the discovery, the capture;
All ends, this time, in a sort of rapture.
Wiping away the tears we shed for life
Hope is our watchword
We hang to it by our fingernails -
The inchmeal progress – two steps forward,
One step back – money from bring-and-buy sales,
Half-marathons- one step forward, two steps back.
The rules of this game are complicated-
Racing blindfold, legs wrapped in a sack
Both legs and thoughts are unarticulated
Yet they keep on going down the track
Towards an unseen winning-post- they find the knack
Of smiling, having fun, imagining that they are racing homeward.
For a moment, while they run the race
Murderland leaves no traces
On their bright refulgent faces -
Memory ; hiding-places.
Once they lived in Murderland
Where the strong drive out the weak
Now, refugees in Muckaboutland
They are playing hide-and-seek
He counts to twenty, opens up his eyes
There is no-one to be seen
He remembers where they used to hide
Places he himself has seen
He remembers faces
Memory is full of hiding-places
Are they hiding behind the fire-haze?
The cattle-bones that decorate
The weary, gut-red earth?
He opens up his eyes and plays-
It's either that or else to hate
This outland of his birth
Are they behind the new latrines?
The grasses by the wire fence?
The gasoline bottles?
He giggles; he is caught between
The pleasure and anxiety of suspense-
“Coming for you; ready or not”
“Coming for you” doesn't sound quite right
But he remembers hearing it, at night-
He remembers eyes and covered faces -
Memory has no hiding-places
Perfect for these young veterans of war
This game of parts- the counting;
The hiding; the laughter and the fear;
The cry of “Coming for you”; the mounting
Anxiety; the mounting urge to giggle-
This is, after all, just play -
The need to stay still, not to wriggle;
The longing not to give themselves away.
The running, the discovery, the capture;
All ends, this time, in a sort of rapture.
Wiping away the tears we shed for life
Hope is our watchword
We hang to it by our fingernails -
The inchmeal progress – two steps forward,
One step back – money from bring-and-buy sales,
Half-marathons- one step forward, two steps back.
The rules of this game are complicated-
Racing blindfold, legs wrapped in a sack
Both legs and thoughts are unarticulated
Yet they keep on going down the track
Towards an unseen winning-post- they find the knack
Of smiling, having fun, imagining that they are racing homeward.
For a moment, while they run the race
Murderland leaves no traces
On their bright refulgent faces -
Memory ; hiding-places.
courtesy to Ray Carter,GK Winter Festival, 3 Dec 2017
Anthony White settled in Folkestone 3 years ago and is now a regular at open mike/performance poetry events. He is also one of Poets' Corner Folkestone ("Poetry in the street; poetry for everyone"). Anthony wrote and performed 'Hide-and-Seek' in Aid of Green Kordofan cause, you can discover more about him by visiting his blog at freeversefolkestone.wordpress.com.
RSS Feed
