Saturday 7 February 2015

The bird watcher.


Sitting and watching the comings and goings
The happy farewells and the tearful hello-ings
The sadness and stillness and long pensive nights
The tears of the weary who wailed at their plight
The bad and the guilty and good who'd done wrong
He listened along to their pitiful song
He listened intently and never once sought
To give them relief from the pain that they'd brought
That wasn't his remit, his duty or task
The questions not questioned, they weren't his to ask
Nor answers to give nor pleas to appease
He listened to prayers from men on their knees
Men with no God but men who now swore
To live better lives for the God they'd ignored
If only he'd help them, they'd beg and entreat
No more would they lie, steal, kill, hurt or cheat
He'd watch as they paced and they sat and they lay
As they stared at the walls until night turned to day
He'd watch as they jumped at the sound of the key
As they'd try to regain some raw dignity
To try and pretend that they weren't really scared
To snarl at the world with their vicious teeth bared
He'd know as they knew that it was all a front
That they'd cried and they'd trembled and all that they want
Is to walk through that door and to never return
Though some of them would, some folk never learn
He'd wish each man well, though the words were unheard
His face, though well seen, was always ignored
And when those he'd watched had left him alone
Having gone to that somewhere that they called their home
He stayed where he sat in this place they'd thought hell
That brick in the wall of that cold prison cell

J2H.

1 comment:

  1. Really liked this. I expected it to be God that was watching, instead of a "brick in the wall." Great job of flipping my expectations and making me think.

    ReplyDelete