First morning of Autumn term.
I’m in the crush-hall, slouching with Bett and Marion,
stuttering into “business as usual” mentality,
shrinking from school-house stink,
bitterly regretting the absence of a time-machine
to take me to last week and drop me in a tree,
when
a cacophany of cat calls;
a confusion of piercing wolf-whistles
rudely explode from 3C’s nuisance crew –
led by Bill, with noisy aid from sidekick Dick and the usual losers.
A wit who is in on the obscure joke
yells “Blossom!”
Clutches of kids spin
away from crude authors to their protagonist;
a casually-dressed grotesque strolling toward us
by way of the students entrance.
Nobody but schoolkids use that door; the teachers
flatten their own, hallowed lane.
The man is setting a precedent
which he alone will follow for as long as he can tolerate
hypocrites and foolish heads of schools.
Later, he’ll be known by all as Eric,
sports coach by day,
youth leader in evenings and weekends,
heroic defender of child-friendly themes even while he sleeps.
A man who accepts our weaknesses
as natural or pained stages toward our individual choices
of growth or decay.
He’ll never trill the truths we know,
instead planting daisies on the paths we scrape,
to illuminate the better way,
In his presence, my self-disgust will shrink,
and forever, memories of his generosity will boost me.
In latter years we will meet by happy accident and chat in the street.
I’ll reminisce, while he will weave his wise philosophy
like an invisible thread, darning the holes in my head.
He’ll speak of his yesterday’s hockey game,
of next week’s holiday in Thailand,
where he’ll visit his adopted son.
He’ll promise me saffron when he returns.
I’ll want to detain him, that I may bask
longer in his company.
In morbid moments I will think of his age, and imagine
that the sky will collapse, the planets collide
the moment he dies.
The Saffron will never arrive; instead a final announcement;
“The well known hockey coach, Eric Gale, after a brief illness…”
for an instant, I will hallucinate;
see the planets crashing to earth, the sun dying,
then his voice will come to me.
saying that life is about giving; in death,
he will never take away.
Grief and abiding gratitude will engulf me.
but today,
I only hear a nickname, “Blossom”,
whose background will remain a mystery.
As he passes through the hall, the bravest rebels repeat:
“Whoa, blossom; drop ’em, blossom,”
yet he smiles benignly, nodding and hello-ing as if
his tormentors are friends.
My friends and I shake our heads,
disgusted by the hecklers,
fascinated even as we are repulsed
by this track-suited, rucksack hugging man whose face
resembles a mismatched collection of unkind jokes
crafted by a demented plastic surgeon.
We do not yet recognise his glory.
Eric passes by,
his smile open, my eyes averted.
I glance at Bill’s elated crew
for a trace of shame,
but that will only come later.
.
Written in haste for yesterday and today’s Word of the Day Challenges: Blossom and Abiding
©Jane Paterson Basil
Thank you for sharing Eric, who lives on by your words. Now he’s blessed my life too. ♥.
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He was a wonderful man. I couldn’t quite find the words to describe him.
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I think the words you used are perfect. I really enjoyed this piece a lot. ♥.
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Thank you, Niki xxx
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I can’t believe this started off as a response to a word challenge. It’s too well crafted, well laid for that. How do you do it, Jane?
I see only two possibilities, both reasonable methods. Hallucinogenic drugs, or Satanic conjurings. Perhaps in combination?
I love your description of Eric’s character, what he did for others. I have a feeling I’m going to remember him.
I like the structure of the poem too. The way the life and character of Eric is shelved between two bookends of a first meeting.
Thanks for sharing this, Jane. Please take it easy on the drugs and Satanic sex.
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Thank you, Paul. This was handed to me on a plate. The first time Eric walked into the school crush hall, those 14 year old creeps really did call him Blossom. They kept the joke going until they realised what an amazing man he was. I didn’t manage to post the poem last night. This morning, when I saw the word was Abiding, I managed to shove it in with only a little help from Satan and the drugs.
I’m pleased that you like my time sandwich; I wanted to convey the contrast between my first impression of him, and all that he turned out to be.
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Much as I agree with Paul’s comments, I cannot for the life of me imagine you indulging in anything other than the allure of toying with words, words and more words.
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Thank you for your support, Raili. Paul is trying to tarnish my nae so he can knock me down to a fiver for the rights to my poetry. He’s got no proof…
unless he’s found the photographs 🙂
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Don’t trust him, Jane. He knows *sshh* pirates…..
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what a delightful tribute to a very special man so well crafted, kids are so cruel 🙂
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Thank you. He really was someone special. I don’t think the taunts bothered him. Looking back, I wonder whether he was a Buddhist.
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I would say very connected with himself and our oneness whatever his belief 🙂
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This is very beautiful. Your descriptive powers are just so sharply honed… Loved this:
track-suited, rucksack hugging man whose face
resembles a mismatched collection of unkind jokes
crafted by a demented plastic surgeon.
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Thank you Calen. He was one of the three greatest heroes in my life – the other two being Leonard Cohen and an English teacher.
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Is he still around?
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He died about 8-9 years ago. Someone who should have known better flippantly read me the announcement, and acted like I was stupid when she saw how upset I was.
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People can be so insensitive sometimes…
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Especially when they try. 😉
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