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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE CHILDREN, by NORMAN DUBIE Poem Explanation Poet's Biography First Line: It was the first wednesday of a scarcity of candles Last Line: That evening in a coffin. Variant Title(s): Psalm 23 Subject(s): Animals; Bombs; Family Life; Horses; Sweden; World War Ii; Relatives; Second World War | |||
It was the first Wednesday of a scarcity of candles. The planes, of course, came in waves. They came With the dinner bell. Only Eric Remained upstairs. Inside the orange room Plaster settled on everyone and in the soup. Outside snow fell Heavily around our houses. In the garden The broken water pipes gushed and froze Over a horse whose backside was crushed by fallen bricks; The heated water hissed and as the horse Took on ice, still propped up with its forelegs, It stood like a feeding mantis, the awful mouth Open around its swollen tongue. We dipped our napkins in the thin soup And, draping them over our faces, walked Out into the smoke. The munitions factory On the hillside blossomed and burned. It was earsplitting, And sudden. I got sick. In shame, I went back inside, changing into Father's pajamas. Uncle shot the horse; it shattered, A fallen chandelier with all its candles white, Save one red tier. Eric remained upstairs, more out of disgust Than fear. We had a car, and had hoarded petrol. In the morning We would drive to the Swedish Legation. Mother said that on a burnt-out building, With chalk, someone wrote: Lily, the Aunt was killed. I have room now I think For both you and the children. Where are you? When there's snow on the ground The automobiles, lorries, and trains are very plain to see And the bombers have a field day. Men pass mornings scattering ashes Around the factories and in Soldiers' Cemetery Where the Americans bomb mercilessly. Out in the garden The homeless cut great steaks from the sides Of Uncle's dead horse. Uncle thought this both practical and wholesome. But when they dragged out its intestines He shot above their heads and cursed them. They ran in the direction of the park. Father wanted to know if there was anything Eric wanted. He said that to start with He'd drop a bomb on that horse's carcass And have it done with... Father said everyone was nervous And Eric could go to his room until breakfast. I saw him once again That evening in a coffin. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...PORT OF EMBARKATION by RANDALL JARRELL GREATER GRANDEUR by ROBINSON JEFFERS FAMILY GROUP by ARCHIBALD MACLEISH THE BRITISH COUNTRYSIDE IN PICTURES by JAMES MCMICHAEL READING MY POEMS FROM WORLD WAR II by WILLIAM MEREDITH |
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