Test match

by T.P. Wilkinson / June 30th, 2019

a pair
breadth
a hair
patient ill
batsman’s will
dropping light
hours the fight
ground the turf
sound the wicket
still the wind
that binds the ball
with seconds
waiting
while eyelids fall
inattentive
contemplative
strict and still serene
a moment’s glare
sulphur sparks
unexpected
elated
leaves the ball
the bat
and the park.

T.P. Wilkinson, Dr. rer. pol. writes, teaches History and English, directs theatre and coaches cricket between the cradles of Heine and Saramago. He is author of Unbecoming American: A War Memoir and also Church Clothes, Land, Mission and the End of Apartheid in South Africa. Read other articles by T.P..

This article was posted on Sunday, June 30th, 2019 at 8:02am and is filed under Poetry.