A Game in the Vestry

Cold, cold, cold the snow outside the country church.
The quiet park, in summer filled with children's happy cries
And singing birds and mothers, babes in arms, is silent now.
Snow falls gently on the leaves and on the statue in the lake.

But in the vestry all is not so peaceful, as dear Father Reilly
Gropes his Christian way under the young girl's clothes,
Not minding her screams of terror at his clawing fingers;
"Whoaaah! For the love of Jesus, but that feels great," he moans.

And don't forget that, even if he does get caught one day,
Even if that little girl tells her shocked Mummy and Dad,
The bishop, clad in purple and with all the Church's power,
Will brush the trivial incident under the clerical carpet.

Praise the Lord!
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About This Poem

Style/Type: Free verse

Review Request Direction: What did you think of my title?
How was my language use?
How does this theme appeal to you?
How was the beginning/ending of the poem?

Review Request Intensity: I appreciate moderate constructive criticism

Editing Stage: Editing - polished draft

About the Author

Region, Country: London, Culture Capital of the World

Favorite Poets: Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen, Rupert Brooke, Chaucer, Shakespeare to name but a few. And VERY IMPORTANTLY: Erich Fried, a leftwing Austrian of Jewish ancestry who fled the Nazis and became a British citizen in 1949., And, other writers (non-poets mainly): Raymond Chandler, Irvine Welsh, Anthony Burgess, Graham Greene, Charles Bukowski, John le Carré, Anthony Horowitz, Mick Herron, Margaret Attwood, Edna O'Brian, Maeve Binchy., Writers who I find vastly over-rated: TS Eliot, Virgina Woolf, Sylvia Plath, Phil Larkin, E.A. Poe, A. Ginsburg, Longfellow, Gerald Manley Hopkins (actually I LOATHE Hopkins more than damson-dappled words can say).

Comments

Geezer

5 years 9 months ago

If you make...

each line a separate line to itself, you can leave off the punctuation at the end of each line. A few simple changes can make it all go away!

1]Third line: [It's] singing birds [are] silent now

2] First line, second verse: [with] dear Father Reilly

3] 2nd line, 2nd verse [He gropes]

Your title caught my eye and certainly, I was not disappointed.
Not an appealing theme, but worthy of a write and it began and ended well. ~ Geezer.
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Edna Sweetlove

5 years 9 months ago

But...

...I don;t want punctuation to go away! I LIKE punctuation and dislike its absence! But thanks for commenting.
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Geezer

5 years 9 months ago

Okay, okay...

Just thought that since you insist on capitalizing each line, that it is superfluous to use commas and semi-colons. ~ Geezer.
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Edna Sweetlove

5 years 9 months ago

In my book...

...it is 'normal' to start each line with a capital and it is normal to use standard punctuation. I accept that some people write poetry ignoring these conventions, but I don't. Except when I am trying to create a "cool" and "beat" effect!
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