Poem of the Week: “Pitch & Putt” by Conor O’Callaghan

Pitch & Putt

Its is the realm of men
and boys joined in boredom,
the way of life that sees
one day on a par
with the next and school breaks
dragged out too long.

Theirs is the hour killed slowly,
the turn for home
in diminishing threes and twos,
the provisional etiquette
of shared tees,
conceded defeat.

Theirs the loose end,
the nationality of ships
in the absence
of shop to talk,
the freedom to be hopeless
and still come back.

Theirs the blather
of the last twoball
accepting flukes
for what they are,
the greenkeeper collecting flags
and shadows in their wake.

–Conor O’Callaghan, from Seatown And Earlier Poems (2000)

For more on Conor O’Callaghan, check out the Reader’s Companion for his new book, The Sun King.