Stephen Spender

A stopwatch and an ordnance map. 

At five a man fell to the ground 
And the watch flew off his wrist 
Like a moon struck from the earth 
Marking a blank time that stares 
On the tides of change beneath. 
All under the olive trees. 
A stopwatch and an ordnance map. 
He stayed faithfully in that place 
From his living comrade split 
By dividers of the bullet 
Opening wide the distances 
Of his final loneliness. 

All under the olive trees. 
A stopwatch and an ordnance map. 
And the bones are fixed at five 
Under the moon's timelessness; 
But another who lives on 
Wears within his heart forever 
Space split open by the bullet. 
All under the olive trees. 

Stephen Spender