1940

1

Silence broken

mobile generators feeding the lights the

snow iron hard sharp

ring of picks and shovels

pools of glass

under a black sky half

an acre of devastation

2

After noon it

stopped snowing

slithering in the slush

whole families standing

beside the remains

their possessions

shivering waiting

case the looters moved in

doors windows ceilings all

gone the architecture of the world

3

Pear red apple

inky black grapes and fat plums

emerald green leaves

all done in wax

on an ebonised stand

covered with black velvet

protected from the world’s dust by

a glass dome bordered with red plush

at the centre of the mantelpiece any more

4

Monotony rationing queues

Girls in Air Force Blue

Need Oda-Ro-No

Shrouds

Counted and identified

Vaseline on eyelids for the dewy look

Damaged retinas

Compound fractures

Mouth full of brickdust

Auxiliary Red

5

Dorchester Hotel

Turkish baths air-raid shelter

A neat row of cots two feet apart

Each one covered with a fluffy eiderdown

Pillows large and full and white

Silks billowed and shone

In the dim light in

Pale pinks and blues

Behind each cot hung

The negligee the dressing-gown

A little sign

Pinned to one of the curtains

Reserved for Lord Halifax Lord

Fucking Halifax

Copyright © John Seed, 2007