Friday, September 25, 2009

Peter Pan




Peter Pan


There’s a picture of him,
moustache at half mast
like Neville Chamberlain’s,
tiny man in a flasher’s coat
with a St Bernard’s, Nana
you presume, waist high.
He’s half turned as though he knew
the camera, like life, was unkind
and found only gravity in his face
now, the jowls, the joyless lips,
the eyes dead as space.
He said to clap if you believe,
but this was after Flanders
and Neverland had taken
all the pure and heartless.
What was left was Jim.

4 comments:

hope said...

He certainly doesn't look like the jovial guy I pictured writing "Peter Pan". Then again, I know his life was filled with tragedy and accusations.

Still, I expected a little twinkle in his eye. How sad.

Titus said...

Ah, now that's a bit of a stunner.
Really liked it.

Rachel Fenton said...

I found this very moving. Simple and understated; as elegant as the generation from which Peter Pan was born, and as tragedy filled.

Hugh McMillan said...

Thanks folks. I'm quite pleased with this wee series. No idea what's next, though.