John Atkinson Grimshaw


What do you do with yourself
When the evening stretches long
Carved with hollow spaces
And the usual diversions
Don’t suffice
And the restless night
Lies down around your shoulders
Shadowing your thought
Heavying your hand
Waylaying your fortitude
You watch and listen hard
For any stirring
You weigh the wind
And sieve the dark for reassurance
That still
Something wondrous awaits
Your hope drawn thin
And waning
Like a fickle friend
Your ears pricked
To grasp the faintest whispering
The winnowing breathy promises
Of imminent reward
For all the earnest goodness
The almost always
Faithful heart




Sara Mathews     March 2019