The Farewell Glacier by Nick Drake

Author:Nick Drake [Nick Drake]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781780370538
Publisher: Bloodaxe Books
Published: 2012-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

*

They called me the Iron Man

But there was a suspicious wooden feeling

In my feet.

When they sliced away my sealskin boots

Several of my toes

Snapped off at the joint,

Frozen.

I felt nothing.

For six weeks I lay

Not knowing if I would lose both feet.

In the end

I lost eight toes.

And then I carried on.

*

I remember

We set out in the light

Of midnight.

Step by step,

Foot by foot,

We made good progress

Across the ice

To the Pole’s vicinity

Which he measured

With his sextant.

When I congratulated him on the achievement

He hid his face in his hands

And said nothing

To me.

If you look me up

In the indexes of your histories

I merit mention

As ‘black manservant’

Or ‘life-long associate’,

Or not at all;

My black face

Invisible

In the snow

Of these white stories

That quarrel

For the victory of the Pole.

I was ‘useful’ –

For I spoke the language

Of the Eskimos,

I built sledges,

Drove dog teams

And was popular;

But still

I had to call him Sir.

I remember

I was the first man to stand

With 360 degrees beneath my feet

And east and west and north

Meaningless;

A black man

Out of Maryland

With our companions

Ootah and Ooqueah,

Egingwah and Seegloo,

Posed for the photograph

Holding flags

At the top of the world.

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