The Man In The Bowler Hat Poem by Arthur Seymour John Tessimond

The Man In The Bowler Hat

Rating: 3.5


I am the unnoticed, the unnoticable man:
The man who sat on your right in the morning train:
The man who looked through like a windowpane:
The man who was the colour of the carriage, the colour of the mounting
Morning pipe smoke.
I am the man too busy with a living to live,
Too hurried and worried to see and smell and touch:
The man who is patient too long and obeys too much
And wishes too softly and seldom.

I am the man they call the nation's backbone,
Who am boneless - playable catgut, pliable clay:
The Man they label Little lest one day
I dare to grow.

I am the rails on which the moment passes,
The megaphone for many words and voices:
I am the graph diagram,
Composite face.

I am the led, the easily-fed,
The tool, the not-quite-fool,
The would-be-safe-and-sound,
The uncomplaining, bound,
The dust fine-ground,
Stone-for-a-statue waveworn pebble-round


Submitted by Stephen Fryer

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Kenneth Maswabi 25 March 2015

beautiful poetic masterpiece.i love it.thank you.

0 0 Reply
Nika Mcguin 25 March 2014

The dust fine-ground, Stone-for-a-statue waveworn pebble-round beautiful imagery here. And as a rock collector at heart I really appreciate the waveworn pebble-round bit.

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Michelle Claus 25 March 2014

Love the various ways in which the poet defines his anonymous subject. I admire several of the examples, but especially the colour of the mounting morning pipe smoke. The final stanza sings! ! On a light note, Dr. Seuss's Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose comes to mind. I will definitely read more poetry by Arthur Seymour John Tessimond.

1 0 Reply
Gajanan Mishra 25 March 2014

composite face, I like it.

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