John Greening
For Lotte Kramer
Mainz gushes, amazed at its own existence.
Its fountains swell a blessing in square havens
Over bishop or drunk and, near St Stephan’s,
A statue of three Madchen huddled under
Umbrellas. Today, there is threat of thunder
Far off. Round these grey children all that’s falling
Is clean piped water. And a mother calling
She’s found at last that special fountain lost since
We came here with one daughter. Now we’ve two.
And three endure a christening that still pours
After nine playful years. Only emotion
Ran free when you left, many lives ago,
A city of dark looks and lightning laws
From which there was no shelter but the ocean.
Its fountains swell a blessing in square havens
Over bishop or drunk and, near St Stephan’s,
A statue of three Madchen huddled under
Umbrellas. Today, there is threat of thunder
Far off. Round these grey children all that’s falling
Is clean piped water. And a mother calling
She’s found at last that special fountain lost since
We came here with one daughter. Now we’ve two.
And three endure a christening that still pours
After nine playful years. Only emotion
Ran free when you left, many lives ago,
A city of dark looks and lightning laws
From which there was no shelter but the ocean.
Page(s) 13
magazine list
- Features
- zines
- 10th Muse
- 14
- Acumen
- Agenda
- Ambit
- Angel Exhaust
- ARTEMISpoetry
- Atlas
- Blithe Spirit
- Borderlines
- Brando's hat
- Brittle Star
- Candelabrum
- Cannon's Mouth, The
- Chroma
- Coffee House, The
- Dream Catcher
- Equinox
- Erbacce
- Fabric
- Fire
- Floating Bear, The
- French Literary Review, The
- Frogmore Papers, The
- Global Tapestry
- Grosseteste Review
- Homeless Diamonds
- Interpreter's House, The
- Iota
- Journal, The
- Lamport Court
- London Magazine, The
- Magma
- Matchbox
- Matter
- Modern Poetry in Translation
- Monkey Kettle
- Moodswing
- Neon Highway
- New Welsh Review
- North, The
- Oasis
- Obsessed with pipework
- Orbis
- Oxford Poetry
- Painted, spoken
- Paper, The
- Pen Pusher Magazine
- Poetry Cornwall
- Poetry London
- Poetry London (1951)
- Poetry Nation
- Poetry Review, The
- Poetry Salzburg Review
- Poetry Scotland
- Poetry Wales
- Private Tutor
- Purple Patch
- Quarto
- Rain Dog
- Reach Poetry
- Review, The
- Rialto, The
- Second Aeon
- Seventh Quarry, The
- Shearsman
- Smiths Knoll
- Smoke
- South
- Staple
- Strange Faeces
- Tabla Book of New Verse, The
- Thumbscrew
- Tolling Elves
- Ugly Tree, The
- Weyfarers
- Wolf, The
- Yellow Crane, The