Poetry

Reuters photo

By

Abigail Rathbone

Education: Explaining the Money Culture

Try and explain to a four year old

That “no, you can’t have it because

We haven’t got the money.”

There are many didactic traditions which

Cover this situation.

You can say it lightly,

You can say it hard,

You can dispute the worth

Of the coveted object;

You can speak of the

Deserving and the undeserving.

You can describe the greater plight

Of those who don’t have anything,

Or claim that those who have

Too much are at greater risk on

Judgment Day; you can praise

The value of Nothingness.

You can simply turn a deaf ear

As if there had been no request.

No matter how you do it,

The kid gets it right away

And will continue to ask

The very next day.

Casablanca

We were two Silent Generation matrons born

Before World War II gone to see a revival of

“Casablanca” at the Pleasant Street Theatre

In Northampton otherwise thronged by

Smithies curious about Bogie and Bergman.

But this was 1971 so when

Bergman leaned her head on Bogie’s shoulder

And said “Oh Rick you’ll have to do the thinking

For both of us,” a strange cacophony began in the dark–

Hissing and booing and screaming with the force of

Thunder gathered into a storm that

Blew the roof off that tiny art theatre. It

Blew into the street and around the globe

Circling its circumference like Superman.

We two also hissed and booed and screamed

Feeling slightly disloyal to our earlier selves

Who had once wept at that scene but were

Persuaded now, not to remain silent.

Abigail Rathbone

Abigail Rathbone has been writing both short fiction and poetry “on and off” for 50+ years. A retired copywriter she now spends much of her time buying and selling old books, some of which she reads.