Home » Poems » Elizabeth Mccann » What'Ll I Do

What'Ll I Do

What will I do without him
   who used come to the door
   and ask me to play with snowballs 
In the sun?
Go out and play with
   snowballs of my own?
No fun!

What will I do without him
   who used to tap at the window
   and bring me the dark sky
Shattered with dawn?
Close warm sheltered inside
   Will I watch the night
Go on?

No! I'll run to the streets and the highways;
   I'll shout to the closed-in ears;
   into the wind that buries the sound of my voice
I'll whisper when footsteps come near
   There's someone living
In here! 


(A nod to Athol Fugard's "People Are Living There")

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Nancy Kaufman

Date: 4/12/2023 7:08:00 AM

this is so well done Elizabeth, especially the ending, "there's some one living in here",

Elizabeth Mccann
Date: 4/12/2023 6:14:00 PM

Kind of you to reply, Nancy. The title was from a play by Athol Fugard in South Africa, about the dire situation of the Bantu people living in the kraal. I borrowed it for a personal angle. Elizabeth

Elizabeth Mccann

Date: 10/27/2022 5:03:00 PM

Exactly, Linda. I'm digging up an old talk I gave, "The Inner Companion," about consulting our inner self for guidance, not just the hype, the popular stance. Elizabeth

Linda Alice Fowler

Date: 10/27/2022 8:38:00 AM

Love it Elizabeth! Let's not forget our ego. It has its value. Whatever is outside, there is always someone in there. :)

Gary Radice

Date: 10/16/2022 6:18:00 AM

Elizabeth, I'm not going to pretend that I understood all that you have written here other than to say that I picked up on themes of loss, loneliness and the search and desire for happiness with a splash of the human condition running through your psychological piece. Whether I am on track or many miles away from your original ideas, I have to say that I found the whole piece intriguing. And a great read. Cheers - Gary

Elizabeth Mccann
Date: 10/17/2022 3:46:00 PM

Thanks, Gary! A great reply! I've had that last line rattling around in my brain since seeing Fugard's play some 40 years ago! Elizabeth

Joe Dimino

Date: 10/15/2022 5:10:00 PM

Wow! Total isolation. Brilliant, moving work. Following a great loss I imagine, a soulmate perhaps. No one sees us fully as we are (living, feeling, throbbing)...except a rare few...and, I like to think that my God also in my case. But we all have different personal beliefs, not to try and force our own on others. Great writing evokes many different interpretations...and maybe all correct. I am generally far out of kilt, different, sort of like the theme of your fine poem. Thank you for sharing.

Elizabeth Mccann
Date: 10/15/2022 6:00:00 PM

You have really shored up my spirits today, Joe! I was feeling definitely ho-hum. Yes, I waited until my 70's to meet a special person. That's too long; health starts to intervene. But I still wouldn't trade it! Thank you. Elizabeth

Elizabeth Mccann

Date: 10/14/2022 4:54:00 PM

Love the "Waddle," Robert. I was surprised by the Ducks, thought it was Beavers, but then I'm originally from the other O, where we did have some of both. Thanks for the cheer-up! Elizabeth