Out of words

Out of words
     a life made out of words
words that bind us
     to the people
and the things around us
     and within us
words transformed
     into actions
actions transformed
     into words
in the beginning
     was the word
was consciousness
     of the world
the word-world :
     the sounds are immaterial
by any other name
     love shines through
as does the rose
     or the beauty
of the hummingbird
     no bigger than a thumb
that flits back and forth
     supping nectar
from the bright blooms
     the warm air vibrating
from the buzz of its wings

How insatiable is life
     and love – and appetite
is a glorious virtue
     Time and the world
are ever in flight
     but the word is bedrock
my word is my bond
     and even as the stars
dwindle above the chimney pots
      on Doughty Street
I will love you to the ends
     of the universe
you have my word

John Lyons