Often in Dunedin I notice
a tall young man
who looks like you
huddling with his girlfriend
on the damp main street.
He wears a knitted beret
in shades of faded moss
and tangerine
like ancient tartan,
his eyes gleam
in a sallow face
like the lying harbour,
his skin beneath
the wispy beard
glints like Flagstaff granite.
I can’t believe you’re
not the one haunting these streets
with a new friend
your shoulders hunched
in a greatcoat suitable
for soldiering on mountains.
Credit note: “Fatigues” was first published in JAAM 26 and is included in Barbara Strang’s new collection, The Corrosion Zone (HeadworX, 2011).
Tim says: “Fatigues” is one of my favourite poems in Barbara’s new collection, and it strikes me as a particularly Dunedin sort of poem, which is always a good thing. Watch out for my interview with Barbara, which will run on my blog in a couple of days.
You can read all the Tuesday Poems on the Tuesday Poem blog – the featured poem is on the centre of the page, and the week’s other poems are linked from the right-hand column.
I've been enjoying Barbara's collection too. I've posted another poem from the book as my Tuesday Poem this week.
I like this very much – the simplicity is deceptive – and the language so spare. Lovely! And I hadn't heard of her before.
There's a great soft saddness to this poem – accentuated by the contrast to the \”granite\”. Very moving.