A Vote (excerpt)
July 5, 2023O
July 5, 2023The Children Look At The Parents
We being so hidden from those who
Have quietly borne and fed us,
How can we answer civilly
Their innocent invitations?
How can we say “we see you
As but-for-God’s-grace-ourselves, as
Our caricatures (we yours), with
Time’s telescope between us”?
How can we say “you presumed on
The accident of kinship,
Assumed our friendship coatlike,
Not as a badge one fights for”?
How say “and you remembered
The sins of our outlived selves and
Your own forgiveness, buried
The hatchet to slow music;
Shared money but not your secrets;
Will leave as your final legacy
A box double-locked by the spider
Packed with your unsolved problems”?
How say all this without capitals,
Italics, anger or pathos,
To those who have seen from the womb come
Enemies? How not say it?
A.S.J. Tessimond
A.S.J. Tessimond (1902-1962) was a British poet and journalist who lived in the 20th century. He is known for his sharp wit and unique style, which often blended humor and melancholy. Some of his notable works include "Not Love Perhaps", "The Walls Do Not Fall", and "Selections".