Member Poem

David
 
you were the boy with a lazy leg
who slurred his speech
whose thoughts ran slow
who dragged a heavy body
like a sack
 
you could only use one arm
the other lay limp
across your chest
I sometimes wondered
what it wanted to protect
 
there were rumours
about how you ended up like this
tight mouthed adults
whispered of gin and a reluctant mother
kinder lips said
polio
 
to us you were David
with a grey jumper that was too short
so we tugged it down
when it rode up to expose your tender belly
and sometimes we slowed our pace to yours
in the small grey yard
where teachers allowed us
to see the sky
 
sometimes
knowing the world
through your slow blinking eyes
was a blessing
 
how else would we have seen
clouds dance