The Miracle Of The Merry-Go-Round... Poem by Denis Martindale

The merry-go-round was all I expected it to be,
the typical flashing selection of lights
and bright letter-box red paint here and there.
Most of the seats were already full and the children
were looking forward to their screams of delight.
The attendant stood looking for more customers
before giving up and starting up anyway.
The gears began their circuits of splendour
and the journey started with wonderful music
playing above us and around us.
The eyes adjusting to the whirr of the world passing us by.
The ears maintaining our balance as the momentum increased
and thrust us forward and onward.
Holding on tight to whatever we could
and then continuing to hold close to us.
So the young girlfriends held on to their boyfriends,
adding extra intimacy in their newfound bonding experience.
Perhaps that's all this was really meant for.
In full view and yet within their private place
as love blossomed like a Summer's rose.
All too soon, the little journey came to a slowing down
and everyone else wandered on to find the next big thing.
I was the last person to leave the merry-go-round…
you see, I was alone… no grandparents, parents or guardians,
no girlfriend, no sweetheart or the girl of my dreams.
Nor was there a wife or a single child of mine
to smile with at the time of moving on to somewhere else…
but for a short while, I felt happy again…
and that, to me, was a miracle…
the miracle of the merry-go-round…


Denis Martindale October 2019.