Copp's Hill

I was tired then,
and did not particularly welcome
the thought of mallet and slab,
the bite of sharp tool into flat,
matte-surfaced stone.

It takes great strength
to carve Agd. 6 Years
onto slate, deep enough
to last through years
of wind and rain,

yet not too deep, so that
the stone will not crack,
so that a child will not lack
a name, a death’s-head,
wings fitted for heaven.