THE FOLLOWING POEM BY LAWRENCE FRAY FROM GURUGRAM WON THE SECOND PRIZE IN WINGWORD POETRY PRIZE 2023.
How you look doesn’t matter at all.
Whether your saree’s draped just right
Or a light, chiffon shawl will pair
Correctly with your braided hair;
How the silk should pleat, or fall----
All that’s neither here nor there.
Do not fret, do not fear:
I am always waiting, dear.
It’s not as if you’d really notice me
But nothing you can do affects the matter;
If I should choose sweet, honeyed words that flatter
And begin again, perhaps then you’ll see
That how you look doesn’t really matter at all.
If you’re designer saree’s draped just right
Or a feather-light chiffon shawl is bright
Enough to offset your cascaded, braided hair;
How the lustrous silk should pleat, or fall---
When all’s told, that’s neither here nor there.
Why should you ever fear, why should you fret?
You’ll always be mine, my dear; I’ll never forget.
As years go by, you’ll think of me more often
And should you ever wish, I’ll sing your praises,
Extol your virtues and your beauty in phrases
Of wonder. Perhaps, in time, your heart may soften---
And realise that how you look doesn’t matter at all.
It’s nothing personal; in time, I come to everyone.
Please understand, the rich, the grand, or those now cast upon
The shoaling strand of poverty and pain----it’s all the same.
To tell the truth, I’ve lived too long and hate to call
On those who don’t deserve the peace I bring, who blame
Their brigandage and selfish, evil deeds on me.
I merely wait and count their days, silently.
We flit like ha’penny sparrows through Bede’s mead-hall: firelit, warmed,
While all about, Winter’s storms fiercely surge and rage.
Your entry in life’s ledger’s but a paltry line on a page
And then it’s over and you’re for the dark, perhaps to be transformed---
I’ve not been informed. Your voyage is one of self-discovery.
But this I know for sure: even a sparrow doesn’t fall unseen,
And every hair on your head is numbered. Best not to fear the night;
You could be happier than if you stayed. The trip with me, of course, is free,
And how you look won’t matter after all.
Whether you’re georgette saree’s draped just right
Or a gauzy, chiffon shawl diffracts the light
When you parade your braided, faded hair,
Or how your sensual silk should fold, or fall----
Leave this charade, come as you are---or dare.
And do not fret at all, neither sigh.
Take my hand; I’m waiting here, nearby.
About the Poet
Mr. Lawrence Fray is a teacher who has travelled extensively and now divides his time between Ranikhet and Gurugram. Born in England and raised in Ireland, Lawrence has taught in both countries before being School Principal in Africa, Abu Dhabi and in India. He has worked as an inspector of Cambridge Candidate Schools in South East Asia.
Now semi-retired, he finally has time to write poetry, compose music and conduct workshops for teacher training and curriculum development, and in Maths, Physics and English for students.
He is thankful for his award in India’s Wingword Poetry Competition 2023 and hopes it proves that we are all creative and able to produce work of some merit in our later years. Lawrence mentors creative writing workshops for Two Roads Studio located in Connaught Place, New Delhi