Day's End

Charles Macfarlane

In the city park at the day's end
A scent of blossom on the evening air
Soak up the life-blood of the setting sun,
Lose the working wear and tear;
A thousand cares, a thousand fears
Have never seemed so far away
As in the city park at the day's end
Watching the children play.

On the city river at the day's end
A ship goes down upon the evening tide;
Her starboard green gleams in fading light
Above her silver seagulls slide;
Her siren speaks above the river's hum
But where she's headed for she does not tell
On the city river at the day's end
While the children wave farewell.

Over city streets at the day's end
A merry-go-round of swifts in flight,
Around the Heath their whistling cries
Give eerie cadence to the night;
The reds and golds of sodium lamps
Hang like jewels in the dark blue dome
Over city streets at the day's end
Walking the children back home.

In the city house at the day's end
Draw the brightly coloured blinds,
The bedside manner and the picture book,
Telling tall tales to younger minds;
Douse the light and close the door,
Down the stairs you softly tread,
In the city house at the day's end
Seeing the children off to bed.

1988

Written recalling a wonderful afternoon and evening in Greenwich with my nephews and niece
(and with a bit of poetic licence thrown in for good measure).

Creative Commons Licence Copyright of this work is held by Charles Macfarlane, who licenses it under a Creative Commons Licence (Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 UK: England & Wales)