“I’ll show you fear,” the cowboy said
As we travelled the Wastelands together
“I’ll give you a handful of dust”
“There is nothing to fear from dust,” I said
“I keep three boxes by my bed
These are my rocks
Ground down by life
Not living now
Just dead
Their life force gone
Washed away by tide and time”
“Come walk with me, strange creature
We’ll travel in these Wastelands
If you place your hand in mine
There is nothing that I fear from dust
I embrace it
It will pass”
“Death doesn’t scare me gunslinger
It’s life that I don’t trust
So, take my hand
You walking dead
With bombadiers eyes
I’m not afraid
I’ll stare you down”
“This dust has formed a new man
One who will steal your crown
I will fight you nasty creature
Until my final breath
When it is my time
You can give me my release
It is then I’ll turn to dust
And go into my box
It’s there
And only at my end
That I will find some peace.”
PJ.
© 2018
The Gunslinger is not my creation. He is Stephen King’s from the Dark Tower series of books. I just took him for a very short walk one day in my own Wastelands. I hope Mr King doesn’t mind.
“Dust” is a haunting meditation on mortality and acceptance, where the narrator confronts death through a conversation with a mysterious cowboy in the Wastelands. The poem weaves together themes of fear, courage, and the inevitability of our final transformation into dust. Through powerful imagery and dialogue, it explores how we carry the memories of those we’ve lost, stored symbolically in three boxes by the narrator’s bed. The poem culminates in a defiant stance against death, acknowledging that while dust awaits us all, it’s life itself that proves more challenging to trust.
Peter J. Watson’s “Daftness and Other Afflictions” is a remarkable collection of poems that captures life’s foibles, frailties, and absurdities with wit and wisdom. Writing from Yorkshire, Watson crafts verses that speak to the ordinary person, making profound observations about everyday experiences accessible to all. His work, inspired by literary giants like T.S. Eliot and the wonderfully eccentric Spike Milligan, offers a perfect blend of whimsy and insight. If you enjoy poetry that makes you think while keeping a smile on your face, this collection deserves a spot on your bookshelf.
