A slight shiver in my chest. <br />A little wetness <br />in my glassy eye. <br />More than is unusual but <br />not excessive on my face. <br />A flutter in the stomach <br />An indecisive kind of smile. <br />A stutter in the moment <br />when trying to chose attire. <br />A double check in the mirror <br />did that spot decline to die? <br />Just another few long minutes <br />of waiting, adjusting, thinking. <br />Did I remember the words? <br />The ones I’d imagined I would say. <br />What will be the first thing <br />you do when I am spied? <br />Adjusting my stance with no <br />leg to stand on, in my defence. <br />A patch of unsightliness <br />And a chattering of birdsong <br />in my minds ear. <br />A salty spray adorning <br />unkempt hair and beard. <br />A smell, a little acrid <br />A taste of brimming fear. <br />Please have a little sympathy <br />for my nervousness my dear. <br />A cordite moment looms <br />when we meet, <br />so very soon. <br />Why would you think <br />before the fight <br />a pirate wouldn’t have <br />some nervous thoughts, <br />before he does his job <br />and steals your worldly goods, <br />and disembowels <br />your living corpse. <br />But didn’t he do well <br />to fight his glass eyed tears?<br /><br />David Taylor<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/i-surely-jest/
