I Told You So

40 days and 40 nights
saw time kill green
and kettles rust
and holes appear
pock-marked paddocks everywhere
acorns ripe for birds and fowls to eat with worms
red combs grey
blood turns hard
and feathers fall
to turn upright in ground
and pierce the sky
and children said
to make a pipe
likes trees they grow
as oak and birch
not straight and fat
but tall and steel like pylon poles
wind to bend and rain to rattle.

II
Summertime will bring the sun
and men will hold
their hands above sons heads
In prayer to clouds
to drop their silvered coins
that melt to feed
the roots and grubs within
then man stands by
and shakes his brothers hand
that white up high has still got ears
to hear his prayers and children sing.

III
Tails in the fields
form behind the tedder
mice run wild lost without their homes to die beneath those cloven feet that cannot feel yellow burns alt I see skin goes pink to brown while freckled blisters thrive so happy on old dinnys back for he forgets the pain and goes to swim.

IV
The creek is shallow
Arms pretend and other
are you a crayfish
head beneath for a long long time
too scared to rise
he floats away
the eels grow fat on Friday night
and storms real back
wash away the grass
and dinny too.

V
Time forgets and so does man
and mice regrow
acorns brown and earth goes mud
feathers fall to die
tea cups bang and kettle boils
healthy brown and all is drunk
cows lie down to chew their cud
and so does man.
—The sun does laugh.

—by Tom Ryan