Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, CRYSTAL PALACE, by JOHN FREEMAN


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

CRYSTAL PALACE, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Morning by morning I look up at the twin / towers
Last Line: If I but clapped my hands.
Subject(s): Heaven; Religion; Paradise; Theology


MORNING by morning I look up at the twin towers,
And the long tunnel of glass and iron between.
When I was small I thought of heaven as glass,
With bands playing all day, all hours,
And amber sands disparted over the sheen:
Above, a roof of glass,
Without, cloud, sky and grass.

"Parish of Lambeth," then, holds all of heaven,
Norwood trees are the trees
Of Judas, Absalom and Eve.
Iron-voiced cars down the steep hill
Groan with the damned that heave
Headlong to suburbs of the south.
But heaven is empty now, the bands
Play to forlorn long aisles;
St. Peter nods at stiff turnstiles;
My steps upon the sands
Wake noises that might shatter the glass:
And all that glittering tunnel would fall,
And the twin towers so tall,
If I but clapped my hands.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net