The Sticky “L”
He’s wearing fingerless gloves
while he types, the sort beloved
of market traders. His tea cools
before he can sip it, so he gulps
in fast glugs to warm his sluggish
blood. A striped beanie, left, lost,
by some long-forgotten someone,
snugs pink-tipped ears. Nothing
bad can sly beneath its woollen
fortress. Blue-tinged fingers jitter,
still chilled, stuttering out spatters
of frost-hope words, his keyboard
with the sticky “L”. “I ove you, I do
and I ust for you, that too” doesn’t
quite sound right. No icicle melt.
But his “ove” pelts his chest like
snide white snowballs midddled
with rocks. Like the bigger kids
would hurl at him. Just a skinny
boy, whose snot-nose ran faster
than he ever could. But he “oves”.
It’s undeniable, blackest ice biding
time ‘til a spring that doesn’t come.
But it might. It should. Snowdrops,
this frost-hope tingle in his hands.
Cold tea slopped in the pot plant.
He clicks send to digitally declare
his “ove”, then puts the kettle on.
I can picture this so well. Thank you for writing it!
It’s a definite winter poem – glad you liked it Joe!
Ah … he’s got a sticky ‘L’ ~ why do keyboards do that, I wonder.
A rhythmical wintry poem
At first thought, my mind came up with a completely filthy answer to that question Polly, but then I realised my keyboard is full of biscuit crumbs!
I enjoyed this!
Thank you!
“..stuttering out spatters
of frost-hope words,”
Holly I do enjoy the way you ply and play with language. You take me on some wonderful poetic journeys. Your words give me a sense of sitting close by, watching the scene unfold.
That’s a real compliment Tricia – thank you. Yes, I think there’s maybe an element of story telling in there somewhere… Probably a hangover from when I used to write prose, I dunno.
Thanks, Holly. ‘oved the “doesn’t quite sound right”! Where is the boy, I wonder? He’s typing (indoors) but so cold. Is this this the school computer room? But then he wouldn’t be wearing that beanie, right? Help!
Your school must have stricter rules on beanie wearing than the ones I went to…
I’d not considered that the narrator could still be at school – when I wrote it, I was imagining him remembering being pelted by snowballs and it being an echo of the vulnerable feeling he has in the present, but it could work for him being a schoolkid as well! You’ve made me think Roland – thank you!
A sticky slip as opposed to a freudian slip…
Somehow it had to be the “L” key…
oved it , honesty I did xxxxxxxxxxxx
Good to hear – wonder if I can start a craze for this “ove”….
I whoe heartedy think you could Hoy
Lol. Nicely done Willow!
Bless him, he’s in ove. Ucky his oved one will understand his ust and passion…
It made me smile – or should that be smie?
As the Beatles sang “all you need is ove!” Glad it made you smie Marina!
He sounds like a hipster!
Hey Seb – liking your new pic by the way. Soooooo, “hipster” eh? Is it the beanie hat or the fingerless gloves that do it?
That and that I read keyboard and sticky L to imply a typewriter
You groovy kids with your touchscreen tablet thingies…
My keyboard (attached to my clunky old desktop pc with the graunching noises) is very sticky on some keys…. I like the typewriter idea though.
Oh my goodness, I ove this!
Thanks very much!