Now is the Winter of our discontent…

…made glorious Summer by this son of York.

One of the best first lines ever written IMO.

I always thought the last Plantagenet had suffered from a bad press, although by heritage I had to support his nemesis Henry Tudr (it is so, how it is spelled, only the English need extra vowels).

Well, just to show I’m not totally prejudiced, I joined the Richard 111 society (American Branch) this year and now get access to all the latest goings-on around the car park.

Where was I? Yes, discontent, well there must be some as a result of the April Poetry Competition, which unlike modern playground games will only have one winner. A fine crop of entries from many of the usual suspects plus a few from some expert prevaricators. I liked them all, especially Soutie’s pairing of poem and picture, but most of all I liked this little gem from Bilby:

Sunshine

Harsh lover
are you warming someone else’s land
And sucking moisture from the sand?
with lizards gaping in the heat
and lifting legs to cool their feet.

Absent lover
There’s a Tequila sunrise when you set
and bodies sunsick, slick with sweat;
swaying, dancing, heat skin-deep,
dreaming sunlight when they sleep.

Fickle lover
leaving, teasing,
warming, disappearing, freezing.
constancy is not your style
but, oh, please linger for a while!

Well done Bilby! Now set us another one for May.

Author: Low Wattage

Expat Welshman, educated (somewhat) in UK, left before it became fashionable to do so. Now a U.S. Citizen, and recent widower, playing with retirement and house remodeling, living in Delaware and rural Maryland (weekends). View all posts by Low Wattage

6 thoughts on “Now is the Winter of our discontent…”

Thanks very much, LW! 🙂

It was a lovely subject, your “sunshine”. Hopefully, I can think of an inspiring theme (panic!). “The Darling Buds of May” keeps repeating in my head, but I fear it wouldn’t be popular.

I agree with you about ‘best first lines’. Superb.