He Didn’t Dare Poem by Alistair Graham

Oh winter, dear winter
what have you done

He slipped on the pavement,
smashed brittle bone

Oh winter, dear winter
what will you do

Will you freeze his house pipes,
will you thaw and burst too

Will you freeze his bones,
while he lies in bed

in two thousand and ten,
he was nearly dead

he was seventy years old,
Belfast was thirteen below

he stared at the gas fire,
imagined the glow

he didn’t dare,
switch it on