In The Park Poem by Gwen Harwood

In The Park

Rating: 3.6


She sits in the park. Her clothes are out of date.
Two children whine and bicker, tug her skirt.
A third draws aimless patterns in the dirt
Someone she loved once passed by – too late

to feign indifference to that casual nod.
“How nice” et cetera. “Time holds great surprises.”
From his neat head unquestionably rises
a small balloon…”but for the grace of God…”

They stand a while in flickering light, rehearsing
the children’s names and birthdays. “It’s so sweet
to hear their chatter, watch them grow and thrive, ”
she says to his departing smile. Then, nursing
the youngest child, sits staring at her feet.
To the wind she says, “They have eaten me alive.”

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Charisma Wooten 27 May 2018

I said it before, I will say it again. Get rid of these dried out white women on my computer. They sound awful. There are plenty actors around that are much better than a computer generated voice.

11 25 Reply
Geoffrey Fafard 07 October 2015

This is good no fantastic writing.A whole life gone by in a few lines…and in the end whoosh a stinging stand alone line..You can read it and reread it..it loses no punch and leaves you contemplating the whole cycle.Just love it.

23 12 Reply
Lucy James 04 February 2016

Harwood is presenting a critical perspective on the expectations placed on women in a culture based on patriarchal values. Her 'housewife' poems, Blue Sappho, In the Park and Suburban Sonnet comment on the inequity of genders in the 1950s/60s and how women were entrapped in the domestic sphere.

18 13 Reply
patriarchy 69 13 February 2020

do u r have dumb

4 6
Toby W 26 March 2018

@Jason bourne re-do

0 0
jack 12 May 2022

No Experience Needed, No Boss Over il Your FD Shoulder… Say Goodbye To Your Old Job! Limited Number Of Spots Open……. 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙟𝙤𝙗𝙯.𝙘𝙤𝙢

1 1 Reply
Chinedu Dike 03 April 2022

A poignant verse.........

0 1 Reply

A serious emotional poem. The heart of the readers goes to the girl and her children, shorn of love and caring, which they need most, from the person from who it is due. They deserve the love of the person most. Top score and Myfav

0 0 Reply
Sylvia Frances Chan 31 July 2021

this poem has a suffering sound, her life is dull and gloomy, such was life for the poor, the economy was still lagging, Very insightful poem

1 0 Reply
Chinedu Dike 30 July 2021

An insightful piece of poetry, well articuated and nicely brought forth from the heart....

1 0 Reply
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Gwen Harwood

Gwen Harwood

Taringa, Queensland
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