John Drudge: Poetry (Western Voices 2021)

Bio: John Drudge is a social worker working in the field of disability management and holds degrees in social work, rehabilitation services, and psychology. He is the author of three books of poetry: “March” and “The Seasons of Us” (both published in 2019) and “New Days” (published in 2020). His work has appeared widely in numerous literary journals, magazines, and anthologies internationally. John is also a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee and lives in Caledon Ontario, Canada with his wife and two children.

 


Summer in Paris

 

Beneath

The zinc covered roofs

Of the 6th

We shuffle aimlessly

Past yet another

Vociferous manif

Chanting in solidarity

In the face of some injustice

Somewhere

The ever present consequence

Of fine weather in Paris

Over to the bookstore

By the river

Across from Notre Dame

To buy something good

To read

In the quietness

Of our favourite park

 

 


 

No Shelter

 

From the cold evening

Into the morning

With the gloom

Kissing wind

Across the frozen dew

Shattered

And staggering

Blocking the elements

In doorways

Walking the boulevard

With nowhere left to go

And nothing else to do

Wandering

In cages of freedom

Aimlessly

On the outside

Looking in

Through pinholes

In the corners

Of our silence

 


 

A Wonderful City to Die In

 

In the mirage of night

Beneath frozen stars

In the silence

Of my steps

With the barkeeps

Closing up

And the taxis

Turning off for the night

I make my way

To the small garden

Behind the old grey church

Sitting in the stillness

Of the neighborhood’s

Collective slumber

With everything calm

Beneath a gentle moon

Thinking about

The lower depths

Of my regrets

As the light

In a second story window

Across the street

Turns to black

And I sink low

In my collar

Against the growing cold

And wait


3 comments :

  1. The scenes are evoked so clearly. I can feel the energy of the v demonstration and the solitary night air of the garden.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great imagerg I could really feel these. Thanks

    ReplyDelete

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