Wednesday, 12 April 2017

Contra Wilde on Theocritus




She wasn’t born in Sicily
where Theo’s dole was spent and clipped;
Liz came to life in Battersea.

Toffs-over-Thames was Wilde’s see.
Worn soles clapped cobbles when she skipped;
she wasn’t born in Sicily.

By soot-clogged brick near the stunted tree
and snot-nosed kids was where she tripped;
Liz came to life in Battersea.

Raising nine, no time was free
to mourn the last; birth crammed his crypt.
She wasn’t born in Sicily.

Old age cramped. Her treat was tea
in the park’s café, her cup tight-gripped;
Liz came to life in Battersea.

No moment flared when she wished to flee
the life from which her soul was ripped.
She wasn’t born in Sicily;
Liz lived and died in Battersea. 


Wilde's poem:
 

No comments:

Post a Comment