Finale (Poetry)

First published in Word Craft Issue 10 Winter 1983

A cornflake sun has dipped away
And sneaked behind the trees on Farthing Hill.
The clouds all poised like golden swans —
Their underbellies toasted crisp as they drift on,
Flowing past the factories
Romantic in the dying light —
Smouldering cities hazed in saffron smoke.

One tardy crow flaps homeward bound
And waves a drunken wing to bid farewell
To day and all its weary players.
Black and glove-like offering
His gently mocking, mimed applause
When, last act ended, evening falls
In cloudy velvet folded in soft layers.