One of my Pupils

by Guy Walker

 

In Memoriam _________  __________
(Died in Syria aged 20 in 2014)

Our city empty of you, absence your
sole parting gift. Familial fabric rent
and only threads left. In year eight I saw
a mischievous smile, downcast eyes, assent

to being loved. My son your peer. And now
a beauteous boy, Sunday Times pages show
your face. For distance was your choice, was how
you solved your need for definition. So,

explained a restlessness with our embrace.
At home, but embarrassed to deny
your history, you apologized and raced
to folly, though you didn’t say goodbye.

naïf on the chessboard, no going back,
you accidently found yourself in black.