A Kind of Blue

The day begins with
             a kind of contralto blue
a blue-grey sky
            and a rising wind
Is it a colour or a mood
            or is it both ?
Birds are warbling
            and a motorcycle
has just driven
            out of earshot
My senses are alive
            to life and all that jazz
The first of the month
            and a time of expectations
it may even snow
            but one thing is certain
in the coming weeks
            life will move
at a quicker pace
            just to keep warm

There is a new year
            just around the corner
and I’m doing the numbers
            the countdown of idle days
checking my sums
            totting up the lessons
I’ve learnt and those
            I have yet to master
But I am master of so little
            and certainly not
of my mirror
            I can do nothing
with my reflection
            except to keep a low profile
when my image
            grazes the silvered glass

Today I will shower
            and shave and dress
as though nothing has happened
            as though nothing
will ever happen again
            I am in denial of time
my head buried in nature
            and the eternal return
of the nightingale
            in Berkeley Square

Today I will pamper my skin
            whisper under my breath
that everything
            is going to be all right
Years ago a man stood
            on a street corner
in Portobello Road
            and his dreadlocks swayed
as Bob Marley blared
            from the speakers
and on that day
            there was a smile
on the world’s face
            and everything
was all right

1 December 2015

John Lyons