would you like to play with me
says one grubby clothed
sticky fingered toddler
to another – no question
of race or status entertained
a playmate is a playmate
to be shunned only if
they won’t share and play fair
playmates with fluffy tails
stride statuesquely on stilettos
around the Playboy Mansion
of one who either likes to
play the field or has
commitment issues or
perhaps just has a
thing for bunnies
my mother gave us no pets
to play with – carriers of disease
she reckoned – except once
she did allow a tortoise
but you can’t play fetch with
a tortoise nor even give them a squeeze
I ache in the places that I used to play
sang Leonard Cohen – he was
definitely a player
play us a song
play with your hair
wrap it round your fingers
like you mean to wrap me too
play with your fan and
send secret signals
play me like a harp
with playful fingers
plucking at heart strings
gently please for I am
still bruised from
previous playtimes
play all night and play all day
play chess like a warrior
play Monopoly to practise
world domination
flirt play
sport play
game play
cos-play
and don’t come home if
you’ve dared to play away
life is not a rehearsal
but they don’t tell toddlers
that, when you grow up
they’re not playing any more
but try to make room
for playing somehow
some day
just to keep you supple
keep on playing…
© Andrew Wilson, 2025
Over at dVerse Poets Pub, sanaarizvi in OpenLinkNight invites us to post a poem of our choice. This poem was written to the monthly theme of my local library group – a small group of poets almost none of whom have an online presence. Keighly Library is one of many in the UK which were funded by Andrew Carnegie the Scottish-born (in poverty) US Steel magnate from the Gilded Age, which presents me with an awkward feeling – he was typically, for the times, exploitative of his workers but then donated huge amounts of money to foster literacy in Britain – grey areas, not black and white.
Anyway, I resolved to try and write about subjects other than the current appalling state of the world and so this topic fitted right in…
” you can’t play fetch with
a tortoise ” brilliant line that denotes the loneliness of the child.
but the player enters even more difficult times -not for the faint hearted those bruises
p.s. I’m not sure we should mind where the money comes from unless totally dirty money – that philanthropist knew the reality of poverty and gave something back. You are lucky to still have a library – so many have been closed
Thank you Laura – and you are quite right about Carnegie, I was just reflecting on the complex morality of re-distributing wealth…
This is so powerful in its depth and raw honesty. I resonate with; “I ache in the places that I used to play sang Leonard Cohen.”
Ahh, There was a poet…
Boy, it’s the opposite of with my parents. We had as many animals as you can imagine. Both of my parents grew up on farms and thought it was really important to have as many animals around as possible. However, this does not change the quality of the poetry you’ve written it’s very sharp and the trip it took me on was very introspective. Thank you.
Thanks Aaron! I’ve not seen you at the pub before – what led you to this post if you don’t mind me asking…
Song was a way to play with the world — one of my parents took a picture of me at 3 years old playing a toy ukele and singing to Big Toad, a frog I had caught and kept in a yellow bucket. Song allows a space to play in, both invitation and receipt … I remember playing “Suzanne” in my college loneliness decades ago. We keep singing even when we’re dead, I hear those songs when I dream … The yearning for play is an aural ether.
I agre Brendan, I am staggered at the number of songs in the world and that’s not even counting covers…
I love this exploration of all the ramifications of ‘play’.
Thanks Rosemary – free association is a wonderful ploy (not to mention playful)…
I enjoyed your wide-ranging exploration of play, Andrew.
I wish some of our current day billionaires who are exploiting would at least fund libraries, hospitals, research . . .sigh.
Indeed – there’s Bill Gates but then wasn’t he a pal of Epstein too? Thanks for the comment Merril…
Your playful poem captured its subject perfectly. I loved reading it!
Glad you enjoyed it Judy…
Very nicely done, Andrew! Play is such an important part of our lives!
Thanks Dwight – it is indeed…
Lots of strong lines here, Andrew. Keep on playing…
Thanks Shaun – as much as I can…