Flight to Thule

Jennospot 25  Flight to Thule

'Ere Oi was, just back from the Lincoln Book Festival, when cripes, instead o' puttin' 'is feet up, Peter St John 'ad the exhaustin' idea ter bring 'is website up ter date. Well the new one ain't so very different from the old one 'cept it's got two pictures of me in it - so Oi reckon as 'ow it can't be all that bad. If'n yew wanna 'ave a look, it's on www.peterstjohn.net .

An' then 'ee gets all excited 'cos 'ee 'ad a little bit o' poetry published. Well Oi ain't inter poetry much mesself, 'specially not the mushy kind. Any'ow, a long time ago, when 'ee was waiting around in the airport at Montreal, 'ee 'eard a flight called fer Thule, wot is a mythical place way up north in Greenland. Peter St J. ain't really one fer 'anging around in airports wiv nuffick ter do, so 'ee gets out a pencil an' starts writin' this poem. Now it's been put inter an anthology (ain't that a super word?) by Forward Poetry called "Speaking of Love". It's a bit yukky fer moi taste, but jus' in case yew might like it, 'ere it is:

"Subliminal Farewell, or The Flight to Thule

Crowded airport, hurried paces;

Ending moments, harried faces;

Broken statements, ruptured words

Through the hubbub – just half-heard:

Did you say, ‘On apron two’?

Or was it really? ... No, not true!

Farewell drink – it's ‘Cheers’ – ironic.

Cheerless chat, slow words, laconic.

Bar half-full; but filled with chat

Half-heard through the heart's pit-pat.

Did you murmur, ‘Lovely brew’?

Or was it really?... No, not you.

Must check the flight time. God it's now!

Would check time's flight, but don't know how.

Noisy stairs toward the gate.

How the heart pounds when it's late!

Did you mutter, ‘Flight to Thule’?

Or was it really?... Simple fool!

Customs – cutting custom's hold;

Parting and the knife cuts cold.

Short peck, long meaning - parting's hard.

‘Keep in touch and write a card.’

Did you answer, ‘File a few’?

Or was it really?... "

 ("Speaking of Love", an anthology, published by Forward Poetry ISBN 978-1-84418-567-2

www.forwardpoetry.co.uk)