Tuesday, December 28, 2010

The Mower by Philip Larkin

The Mower
by Philip Larkin


The mower stalled, twice; kneeling, I found  
A hedgehog jammed up against the blades,  
Killed. It had been in the long grass.

I had seen it before, and even fed it, once.  
Now I had mauled its unobtrusive world  
Unmendably. Burial was no help:

Next morning I got up and it did not.
The first day after a death, the new absence  
Is always the same; we should be careful

Of each other, we should be kind  
 
While there is still time.


The final two and a half lines of this poem were quoted by Joseph O'Connor in the Irish Times yesterday. Seems to me to be a pretty good New Year's wish.

1 comment:

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