Immoral support

The pre-op sister spoke in reassuring,
confident tones and you seemed fine
as you took it all in, matter of fact.

Yet despite this, there was a brief
moment when the reality of what
you would soon undertake

hit me square between the eyes.
But I couldn’t show it, as I was
there for moral support. I couldn’t

show how much I admired you
and how much harder I loved you -
if that was possible.



John H Davies
23rd August 2010 

Rough Justice

It seemed fair to assume
there’d be thieves in a prison,
but after our last belonging
had finally gone the way
of the others, and we still
had no idea who the culprit was,
we planted an imaginary object
under the bunk of the
most likely candidate
and beat the shit out of him.
There wasn’t any more trouble
for a while.


John H Davies
2nd April 2011 

There’s more fruit this year

There’s more fruit this year
hanging from the trees.
A bumper crop, but
one less letter home.

Today will to a certain boy
acknowledge a right of way

that angry motorists
at home feel their duty
to display, vocally

on some congested motorway
that is their world.

But here, the guardsman
cries a different cry,
because he’s probably going to die -
‘Incoming!’ And his CSM
reinforces the lie

or the truth
that no-one dies.
Not on his watch.

And as he fades

he confuses words
intoned in an East Midlands
lilt…
‘Allahu Akbar’
Which roughly translated says:
‘Not today my son.’


John H Davies
20th XIII 2013

Harry's Game (or the law of returning diminution)

The hearing aids are turned down,

just a notch, for the noise

that accompanied his presence

will remain, long after the batteries

have expired.

No need to recharge memories,

for the law of diminishing returns

has been upended;

as he slips the clutch

and rounds Governor’s Bridge

for the last time,

not a shadow in site.

Quick to the heel

and fleet of foot,

the ever present

sparkle in his eye,

which we inherit

for a different reason:

Because just for now

as the Kohima sun goes down,

we lucky few rejoice

that he gave his today

for our tomorrow.

(In memorandum ‘Henry James Fraser’)

John H Davies

26^th VII 2018

Gratitude in a veil

I have an inkling

you know the gratitude,

that you are owed

and not always given.

I may not have the means

to express my debt.

For eons of etiquette

prevent the modern day

gushing of emotion

so awkward for you and I.

And yet, we learnt to embrace

our brave new world.

And while we agonize

over what to say

and not to say,

I say this:

There is not one soul

in my small microcosm of existence

as you;

no greater champion of support;

no finer guardian of friendship;

no shirker of the truth;

and no person who,

despite time’s distillation of

old conventions, would not

speak the unspeakable.

And so I do

now.

John H Davies

VIII May 2018

(For TF - Serengeti)