Poem
Aidan Murphy
Friendship
Friendship
Friendship
You know the painting I mean –two naked men stretched between
heaven and earth’s brilliant extremes
veins and muscles straining
to link limbs. And it continues
beyond the frame. The bodies writhe,
struggling to cancel struggle,
to be whole and single.
But who gets to make the breakfast?
And who gets the much-needed rest?
And round-two breaks
whose bloody heart?
Still
it is a free-for-all,
and when you see something you want
you climb up on his shoulders.
Or, one serene night in the shrubbery
he reveals himself. And you reassure
his hand before the door closes.
And tomorrow you break your heart
trying to remind him.
© 1985, Aidan Murphy
From: Neon Baby - New and Selected Poems
Publisher: New Island Books, Dublin
From: Neon Baby - New and Selected Poems
Publisher: New Island Books, Dublin
Poems
Poems of Aidan Murphy
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Friendship
You know the painting I mean –two naked men stretched between
heaven and earth’s brilliant extremes
veins and muscles straining
to link limbs. And it continues
beyond the frame. The bodies writhe,
struggling to cancel struggle,
to be whole and single.
But who gets to make the breakfast?
And who gets the much-needed rest?
And round-two breaks
whose bloody heart?
Still
it is a free-for-all,
and when you see something you want
you climb up on his shoulders.
Or, one serene night in the shrubbery
he reveals himself. And you reassure
his hand before the door closes.
And tomorrow you break your heart
trying to remind him.
From: Neon Baby - New and Selected Poems
Friendship
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