Lynn White's "The Crossword Man"

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Lynn White lives in north Wales.Her work is influenced by issues of social justice and events, places and people she has known or imagined. She is especially interested in exploring the boundaries of dream, fantasy and reality. She was shortlisted in the Theatre Cloud 'War Poetry for Today' competition and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net and a Rhysling Award. Her poetry has appeared in many publications including: Apogee, Firewords, Capsule Stories, Gyroscope Review, and So It Goes. 


Find Lynn at: https://lynnwhitepoetry.blogspot.com and https://www.facebook.com/Lynn-White-Poetry-1603675983213077/



The Crossword Man


We saw him often during our stay in Moscow.

Every time we passed the opulent public building

he’d be sitting there in his ‘Enquiries” cubicle

intent on his crossword.

We watched in awe 

as the small queues formed,

marvelled at the increasingly imaginative ways

devised to attract his attention.

All failed.

The women in high heels,

the men in smart suits,

the young people in jeans,

the workers in uniform,

there was no discrimination

they were equal 

in his resolution to ignore them.


It was sometime later at the end of an era

when I saw him again.

He was sitting there at his desk 

intent on his crossword

and then came the breakthrough1

We watched in awe

as he leapt up,

rushed animatedly to the door

shouting and gesticulating

to the camera crew who had opened it.

They were making their way inside

as I watched on the television News.

Now I know, 

all that is needed is a camera!



(First published in Terror House, December 8 2021)



© 2022 Lynn White

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