In the Mirabell Gardens
An iron gate. Stone steps. From the parterre
One walks up to a quiet spot of ground,
Where lime trees in assorted sizes bound
A poor ellipse of turf. Surprised, one sees
Not flowers but a tribe of dwarves, austere,
Stationed at intervals beneath the trees.
Small people in the postures and the gear
Of menial callings, some in fancy dress
And twisted into artful lines, express
Fates of the seamy underside of time:
Boils, goitres, crookbacks, idiot grins are here
In chipped, dull marble, blackened with old grime.
Children embrace these oddities. Adults roam
Bemused among them and are not quite clear
As to what attraction is being offered here.
A tourist from the States to mirth inclined
Makes snapshots, crouching, for the folk at home
Of Junior in those cute contortions twined.
They have endured much. Even in life a wonder
Walking on little legs to be the sport
Of a prince-archbishop and his ribald court,
They keep the place appointed them and stand
Schooled, it would seem, to timeless patience under
The diminution of the artist’s hand.
If they could be apart from human vision?
The gates are locked in winter. No one sees
Brief sun or cold moon through the leafless trees
Mark here time’s passage. They are left alone.
Day after day, whole nights without remission
The abstract snow sifts down on simple stone.
Page(s) 24
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