ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

The Sharp End

She was tall and thin and pointy, angular through and through
her eyes were quick and darting, her tongue had a sharp end too
As kids we learnt to fear her and her fence we’d quickly pass
if she was working in her garden or watering her grass

Her place was always tidy where the street veered round the bend
but we never lingered near there coz of her tongue with the sharp end
Years passed and we grew older, pointy lady did the same
one day when I was passing I heard her call my name

“You’ve grown so tall and handsome,” she told me with a smile
“I hope one day you’ll visit and chat with me a while.”
I quickly smiled and nodded as I hurried round that bend
so pleasantly she’d spoken had she lost her tongue’s sharp end?

Why had we been so frightened I wondered as I went home
the sharp end hadn’t spoken, she simply lived alone
I went and picked some flowers to give to my new friend
and found we’d never known her or she’d worn out the sharp end

A tongue might have the sharp end or you can believe all you are told
but sharp ends often wear out as everything grows old
she really wasn’t scary and our friendship grew quite strong
was the sharp end ever truly there or had the gossips all been wrong?

Nerelie

Well done Nerelie


I think we all know one of those old ladies who turn out to not be as frightening as we first thought.

Cheers Bob

People often get mistaken for grumpy, or stuck up when in fact they are often shy or lonely. Lovely Nerelie. Good to see you posting poetry.

Heather

Captured the old lady well here with your descriptive writing Nerelie. The world is often not as we perceive it when we are young it takes age and maturity to see what is really there, and age, and understanding to realize why it is there which is probably more important. Action and reaction. Luckily we all do eventually grow up and see the world through different eyes.