they put erskine childers up against a wall shot him
at paschendale kneeling bullets whizzed over
that side this side beyond the lane in full field
his bruns brother-in-law facing him couldn't have known that then
two weeks he went missing for after leeds by train
out to sea from newcastle came back he'd dyed his hair
no one knew it was him at lime street copy of riddle
of the sands in one hand you're a bloody riddle
laughter at the dinner table no one mentioning
why he left or how it'd gone allerton cemetery
smallest of graves he'd whistle to himself
same as my friend whistles in his silence
his phone off for two weeks I'm sure there's
some explanation all's I wanted to know
was his shoe size but none of this is true hardly think
they saw action maybe ypres I think I remember them
saying in ypres they might have shot each other where'd we all be?
then the next week gone just like that to hamburg see his sister
shot for desertion grey grey uniform mud on his boots
he'd stopped cleaning them keeping the mud like a memory
I got through to my friend asked had he gone? but nowhere
just there reading erskine childers though half way
through and here's a riddle half way through
there's plato in mid flow then back again to the water
low land no sorry about that just needed to get away just
for a chapter or two some printing error unique
I thought so I paid two pounds for it they kept an old
german helmet tinny the type with a spike and a ceremonial
sword it was the money he left that opened
the hat shop where after leeds that was all there was
no middle of the night waking hush and she never let him touch
her again she was a wall cold and hard to his wants
each night he gave it a shot her once soft hands gripped
her nightdress drank it all out of himself need
regret they shouldn't go before you all went out with the in of the gin.