When first we thought
to while away the journey
we chose sides,
sharply allocating points,
bright-eyed.
“Adam and Eve” - four.
“Infanta”, that’s two - for me;
“The Sand Boy”, that’s two for
you.
“Prancing Pony” - mine; four.
“Railway Inn” - yours; no legs.
“Bird in the Hand” - yours, lucky
man. Two.
“The White Woman” - yours, too;
and two again -
and here comes mine:
“The Horse and Groom” - six;
cheers; and
“Three Horseshoes”, but no luck
there.
Thick and fast for both of us “The
Heir Apparent”,
“The George”, “Boy Charlie”;
“The Singing Birds” - only four...
Too soon come “The Crosshands” -
no score there -
“The Bleeding Heart”, “The Silent
Woman” -
and “The Running Man”.
Was that “The Bird in the Bush”,
your side? Yes;
and “The Maidenhead”? Oh...
Then
“The Spanish Lady”, others...
And then, inevitable, “The Cat
Among the Pigeons” -
which counts as eight but should
be far, far more.
“Checkmate”. No score there, not a leg to stand on;
nothing for anyone.
On my side loom “The Harrow” and
“The Weeping Cross” -
no points, none. “The Hole in the Wall”...
But look! “The Sailor’s Arms” - some promise, some
hint;
“The Staffordshire Gentleman” -
mine! mine! - “The Cut and Run”,
“The Mansion House”, “The Coach
and Horses” - what a catch! Eight!
“The Bag of Gold”...
But what’s this?
“The Goat and Compasses”?
- the road goes through, for both
of us -
‘God encompasseth us’, And how;
ultimately “The Journey’s End”
finds us both
legless.
(November,
1988)
