Slow Motion
And
we were there,
with
the high sea gull,
pigeons encroaching,
crafty numbers crawling
across the page,
you recording
dabs, nicks,
stumbling,
straggling
batsmen
scratching, scrunching, truggling,
edged
traggled, cratched, crewn
(memories, atmosphere, anticipation)
while bats (de) fended, fenced, forced, flashed,
And
we wondered :-
how did the bad-light-stopped-rain
know about tea?
what were the chances of that six catching us unawares,
as we dreamt of possibilities?
why ---?
when ---?
And the cameras rolled (was that the heavy roller?)
watching us
watching young boys
scrambling for signs,
eager to emulate ...wickets -----
concentric realities
bowlers
ran in on television
but refused to replay .......................in slow motion
and umpires ...........................in slow slow motion.
preserved the game......................in such slow motion
as we were there.......................in slow motion
And when could this have been?
............which year? day? event? memory? evocation? hope?
..............................all were present as time thundered past
in slow motion
And oval lords streaked past outlandishly,
a blur of traditions,
blurred expectations,
blurring records,
blurnt statistics,
as
the ball (white, wasn't it?)
burst through
the invisibly coded field,
and crashed into our world
Blur-berrys.
And did these worlds exist?
could they meet?
could they share?
in slow motion
and
us
we were there
AF
19.7.96
Revised 8.8.01