You’re getting ready
large rollers in your hair
the dryer in your hand
your eyes in the mirror
More beautiful than ever
you throw a smile my way
Today there’s no agenda
we’ve thrown the clocks away
John Lyons
There are traces of you
in every aspect of my life
practices of yours
that I’ve adopted
unconsciously
You’re there
in the rhythms of my day
there at the window
in Horsely Down
in Shad Thames
waving me goodbye
I taught you to observe
whether the clocks
in public places
were working or not
You taught me
so much more
that love is gentle
and timeless
and that it collects
no dust
You have left an indelible mark
on my flesh and blood
You are there
in all my breath
in every thought
and word and deed
John Lyons
These are my feelings
a redness and a blackness
and a whiteness and a blueness
randomly organised
into a provisional chaos
that will change with time
as the pain passes
as the paint cures
as the oils dry
and the sadness drains
and there is peace once again
in my heart
John Lyons
The simplicities of childhood
that we carry with us all our lives
hope springs in springtime
new life and lambing in the fields
daffodils grown and bought in bunches
the lighter evenings
and a lighter heart
the earth freshly groomed
and the prospect of love
Resurrection and endless return
the promise of the coming months
our pulses fired by the sun
and our delight in the swifts
and swallows that return to the air
No trace of their human shadows
down by Shad Thames
last year’s love nest abandoned
the blinds drawn
and she gone south
to nurse her shattered dream
to displace the memory
of all that she had
of all that she so carelessly and yet
so wilfully threw away
John Lyons
Full wholesome immaculate moon
I have waited for you all my life
your perfect roundness in the dark sky
your dimpled surface that shines down
and illuminates our nightly ventures
the stuff we play at
our trusted dreams
All my life
waiting for fulfilment
for someone whose love would
shake me to the core of my being
moon without shadow without guile
hues of ivory or soft white linen
star-kissed ever faithful moon
John Lyons
The hypnotic sound of the sea
breaking on the shore
the hydraulic power of the waves
that race in and appear to trip
and crash down on the shingle
the rasp as the waters retreat
the white surf lacing the beach
Something primeval within us
nostalgia for the ocean depths
from which we emerged
and for a simpler form of life
for that prime motility
that brings us to where
we are today
The sea runs in our veins
with all the essential salts
star warmth marine blood
stoking the complexities
of human relations
the come and go upon dry land
She loves me she loves me not
another shore another sea
there is always another
another and another
John Lyons
Those early days were the best
when we first travelled together
and you brought blueberries
or cherries to snack on the train
I remember how your eyes lit up
when I asked you that question
in the Southwark Tavern and how
unconsciously you licked your lips
I remember the night we spent
in Bruton and all the love we made
all the fun Snow on the platform
where we waited for the return train
the boys throwing aimless snowballs
across the tracks and the young sailor
telling us of his life at sea
and the radiance of your smile
John Lyons
