(A response to Wislawa Szymborska’s ‘Soul’)
Soul lends time for keeps
usually steps out
wherever conversations form
sometimes settles in
for a year without shoes
rarely participates
when crowds mirror our feelings
it slips off duty
whenever the luggage
of childhood’s uphill fears
pinches sorrow looking for favours
or when needs are going for miles
while years’ tasks are moving
and creaky machinations make us sick
it can be counted on
when we are sure objects
of nothing.
Charlotte Clutterbuck
Australian Poetry 2015
Posted on – June 24, 2023