Vox Populi
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Fleur Adcock: Happy Ending
After they had not made love
she pulled the sheet up over her eyes
until he was buttoning his shirt:
not shyness for their bodies – those
they had willingly displayed – but a frail
endeavor to apologise.
Later, though, drawn together by
a distaste for such ‘untidy ends’
they agreed to meet again; whereupon
they giggled, reminisced, held hands
as though what they had made was love –
and not that happier outcome, friends.
~~~~
Fleur Adcock (10 February 1934 – 10 October 2024) was a New Zealand poet and editor who lived much of her life in England. She received an OBE in 1996, and the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry in 2006 for Poems 1960-2000 (2000). In 2019, Adcock was presented with the New Zealand Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement in Poetry
Copyright 2024 Fleur Adcock. From Fleur Adcock: Collected Poems – Bloodaxe Books – 2024.
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WOW. That ending! What an amazing & wise surprise.
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Isn’t it? I love Adcock’s poetry for its crafty concision.
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What Laure-Anne said–
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Savoring this poem as I start the day.
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Notice how perfectly the meter, rhyme, half-rhyme and sentence structure work together, much the way the two people learn to love each other as friends.
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A tender, grateful, & loving poem, so tactfully written.
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Yes it is!
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We need poems about friendship, platonic relationships, and the deep love that understanding brings. This poem, in its twelve lines, is a masterwork at showing love between two friends in action. And it also hints at compassion as a key to lasting relationships; especially in our narcissistic culture where self-centeredness all too often rules.
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I couldn’t agree more, Jim.
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This is lovely!
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Isn’t it? In praise of platonic friendship.
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