Unpardoned Options

[Arnfinn]

Unpardoned

He sways beside me, tattered brown fingers clawing, slapping and shaking—
a cruciform figure in dark shadows.
He stops… sighs… then turns— hooked thorns suckle strained sinews.
‘ Here accept the sword of absit omen, you must venture on—
go slay your demons.’

A standstill.
Tall gray torsos, stout roots underneath.
Old growth, defused light, black nefarious impediments.
The girth of lost days.
Each sword stoke— a hollow ring…no echo…no echoes.
Enough—we must return to the sunlight.





John Macleod copyright Ó 18th March 2006

[Cybele]

Me again Arn!

Don't pussyfoot around (sorry Lil) Spill ya guts out,

Yeah, sorry Lil, I don’t think he wants you ter spill yer guts out.

dont disguise me old conscience, put the bugger in me poem

Quite right Arniiiiiie. If yer feel like gettin’ it all off yer chest, spillin’ the beans about all yer wicked ways (er youthful misdemeanours.)

Bring everything and I mean everything into the open.

Now don’t go overboard there cobber!!

Me not-so-old pommie belle ya got ta belch out the boeotian.

Not so old pommie belle? Strewth what a silver tongued devil yer are Arn. Thought that was a compliment till I had to google boeotioan and learned it was an ANCIENT Greek civilization. Now I think yer 'avin' a bar of me, Arniiiiie.

Nah, I'm not acrying into me Fosters, but this does happen...I get these recriminations, I wish I had done things so much better. Ya Know what I mean Grace, ya doo things when ya young that ya never can undo. A sorta outing of the badness.

Oh I know what yer mean Arn. It was me recriminations that stopped me signing up for the convent.

He that lives by thunder
has committed a blunder
He that life's a rainbow He that lives a rainbow Arn?
Is canonized in apropos.

Rainbow, apropos ~ very natty rhymin' there cobber.

The moral to me poem is: as ya travel the highways and byways of life, don't be bad or ya end up in strife.

Nice little homily. That your family crest there Arn?

Here's mine


He that repents his evils deeds,
by later countin' his prayer beads
will be forgiven,~ or more precise,
will earn a place in Paradise

By the way ya made a lot of sensible changes and I'm going to use some in my revision

Aw shucks Arn. I'm trooly honoured to be of help.