April

Arthur Broomfield

Dr Arthur Broomfield is a poet, short story writer, essayist and Beckett scholar from County Laois, Ireland.

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Paint smeared April parades

lilies, that brandish the blood

of the quick, pink viburnum;

magnolias, sepals stained, in retreat,

too late to flee the crematorium.

The yellow daffodil, standing

tall above the March grass,

sees through the bare hedge,

withers in haste.

This is the month

when the paedophile prowls

the school playground,

bags of bullseyes

bulging in his pockets.

The Count shuffles 

to the mouth of his cave,

sniffs the morning air,

doubts himself, eavesdrops

on the evensong.

Recoils to ponder

the promised land.

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Setu, April 2023