Out of Tombland he came, loping, at a
sort of unarticulated trot, as though
long acquaintance with pavements and doorways had stiffened
his joints beyond ordinary unbending.

In a voice made hoarse by too much sleeping out,
and mindful of too many little kindnesses
not done and not received, he asked for change.
So passionate a "please" I had not heard,

had not thought it such a mighty word
with power to move beyond polite requests
to wait and pass the salt and mind your head.
"Just another quid mate. Oh please mate. Please!"

Then he was off again, dressed all in black,
down to threadbare socks in bursting trainers:
a malcontent, an uncomplacent soul,
debating with himself of practical matters.

excellent, David! Tom

Over the months, there've been a few sketches of vagrants posted. It would be fun and interesting to compare them, if I could find them. Any help on that out there? This one really hits me in the right place. One thing I notice is how much & when David goes inside his head - presumes to know him. Tom

Yeah!  This one's a bump.

Rick

Many thanks for this bump, Rick.

Cheers

David

Terrific. 
"mindful of too many little kindnesses not done and not received" -- I particularly like the layout of kindnesses -- that they are small and they are too many and they are not done and they are not received.  The negative 'nots' provide a magnified impact there. 

I like the language in this, the way it seems elevated, or polite, in juxtaposition to the subject matter.  A clever and thoughtful write.  A pleasure to read.

ld

The last line tells, somewhat surprisingly, of his dignity - which gives the poem depth and dimension, for me.  Very clear picture, well worth the reading.

Thanks Lynn. I think I nicked a bit of Wordsworth there, or at least an echo of it - "That best portion of a good man's life, His little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love." I thought it was apposite.

And there's a Wordsworth influence in the title as well, and it's exactly that idea of his dignity, that Wordsworth portrays in "The Cumberland Beggar", that I wanted to convey, so thank you for picking up on that, Jonathan.

Cheers

David

There is something haunting about the traditional metrical sound of this juxtaposed with its subject. I like that the meter is not the same pattern, but that it strays and wanders like the mind when daydreaming. A really fine poem worth reciting out loud in the chill when the industry of morning is beginning to wind up. A pleasure to choose it for the front page.

larry

Great pick, Larry, fine poem, David.

Cheers

milner

Hey, David, congrats!! Tom

Wow. I'm surprised and very pleased. Many thanks, Larry.

And thanks also, Milner and Tom.

Cheers all

David

Sorry I missed this earlier David. A superb piece, beautifully written and a well deserved 'front page'.
Marc

Thanks Marc, and congratulations on your own recent pick.

David

David, sorry I missed this too.  Have no idea why I didn't read this.  Love your writing, and this is no exception.  I'm curious, and like your process of enjambment--something I don't totally understand yet, regarding poetry.  Heck, I'm barely over the fact that I can't rhyme, and it's ok that I don't, much less on how to move from one sentence to the next.

I know enjambment can be used to instill certain emotions and images, yet I'm not sure how.

cheryl

Thank you very much, Cheryl. I must admit, I'm not sure I "understand" enjambment either. The trick is, I think, not to be afraid of it. (In fact, you should embrace it - we can't have a whole poem of end-stopped lines.)

The enjambment here, such as it is, is probably a result of sticking to roughly five beats a line. Probably!

Cheers

David

Haven't seen this one before, David.  I like it very much, particularly the last couple of lines.  I'm curious as to why you decided to line break l1 on at a?

Ros

well a very well deserving front page pluck here.  david a fantastic write, such intelligent clumsiness with your language that matches the subject so well!  very fond of "just another quid mate. please mate. please!" lawrence

;) -- a pleasure to find this here and read again.

ld

I like the diction, and the rhythm, but, in my humble opinion, this sounds a bit like the opening paragraph to a book, than a poem. Don't get me wrong, it would be an excellent paragraph to expound upon on--but I don't think it leaves a sense of wonderment on the part of the reader...it doesn't make any grand metaphoric statements about life or the human condition. Any great writer can write something that LOOKS good, but does it FEEL good, too?

I most always have a philosophical, metaphorical itch to scratch, and perhaps I should have prefaced my statement with that. I'd love to see you use your writing talents to lift the subject to the imagination...I am not claiming to be a master at this myself, but I think for any poet it is a loft-worthy goal. :) Cheers, hope I didn't ruffle and feathers.

Joe