Widdershins Poem by David Lewis Paget

Edgar woke as the bedside clock
Chimed in with a spate of news,
The Greens were jumping through hoops again
At the culling of Kangaroos,
The Greeks were rioting in the streets
Cut off from their Euro links,
In Egypt, there was a vague report
Of a Spaceship, over the Sphinx!

He yawned, rolled over to kiss his wife
Fell onto the bedroom floor,
He'd always slept on the right of the bed
But not on the left before!
He staggered over and pulled the blinds,
The sun streamed into the room,
He frowned, it never shone round this side
‘Til late in the afternoon!

His wife raced out of the bathroom, slipped
A comb through her auburn hair,
‘You're going to be late for work again! '
He scratched at his head, and stared.
‘It's Saturday morning, June, ' he said,
‘It's Thursday, ' she replied,
‘Don't you remember Friday night?
Just check the TV Guide! '

She poured his drink from the coffee pot,
He'd always favoured tea,
The sun was a-rising in the West
In a pure absurdity,
He caught the bus that he'd always caught
But it went the other way,
Instead of a route through city streets
It dropped him, down at the Bay.

He called at the Bay Newsagent
But they hadn't a paper there,
They only had one from Friday night
It was called, ‘The Evening Star.'
‘What day is it? ' he asked the man
Who gave him a funny look,
‘Wha' da ya think, it's Thursday;
Now go off, and sling yer ‘ook! '

He wandered along the promenade
And he found a handy bar,
He needed a drink to calm him down
From the jitters he'd felt so far:
‘Just give me a Beam & Coke, ' he said
To the Barman's steely glare,
Who poured him a Bloody Mary
So he turned and he left it there.

Over and by the Harbour wall
An old man sat in glee,
He said, ‘Now I've been a fisherman
Since nineteen fifty three,
I've never seen tides that turn like this
A high come in on a high…'
The sea crashed over the Harbour wall
As the old man let out a sigh!

Edgar pricked up his ears and said:
‘So you have noticed it too!
I thought that I was the crazy one,
The world's turned into a zoo! '
‘Have ever you heard of Widdershins?
I mind it happened before…'
But the old man wouldn't be drawn again,
Just stared at the further shore!

Edgar managed to get back home
As the clock was striking six,
The news was due to be following on
From the kids Ventriloquist,
And the bulletin they read that night
Said the Spaceship seemed to have left,
Had winked its lights as it took to flight,
While the sun sank in the West!

20 June 2012