Edwardian Christmas

By John Fuller b. 1937 John Fuller

Father’s opinion of savages

And dogs, a gay Bloomsbury epigram:

‘The brutes may possibly have souls,’ he says,

‘But reason, no. Nevertheless, I am

Prepared not to extend this to my spouse

And children.’ This demands a careful pity:

Poor Father! Whooping and romping in their house,

A holiday from ruin in the City.

His wit falls flat, his tie just will not tie.

The dog’s in chains, the reasonable books

Grazed by his children as they learn to fly.

He takes his dear wife’s arm (his hands grow hooks).

Pirates and pudding! Come, such cruelty!

His beard is branching like a burning tree.

John Fuller, “Edwardian Christmas” from Collected Poems, published by Chatto & Windus. Used by permission of The Random House Group Limited, http://www.randomhouse.co.uk.

Source: Collected Poems (1996)

Biography

A prolific poet, novelist, children’s writer, critic, and editor, John Fuller has written or edited nearly 50 books, including more than a dozen collections of poetry. Fuller was born in Kent, England, and his father was the poet Roy Fuller. John Fuller was mentored by W.H. Auden and also influenced by Eliot, Graves, and Stevens. His poetry displays a virtuosic ease within the constraints of formal, metered verse; it is a poetry . . .

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