A continuation from yesterday

The dank air
in this stretch of woodland
by the slow silent river

A blue tit sits immobile on a branch
staring straight into the distance
without making a sound

A moorhen wades in the shallow waters
and I’m struck by its green twig-like legs

Six or seven fish of different sizes
are swimming against the current
—perhaps a family at play

They head upriver just a few yards
then allow the current to carry them back
and for a moment they hold their ground
before repeating the sequence

And along the gravel path that leads
away from the river
a number of elderly couples are sitting
on wooden benches passing the time of day

Numerous faceless sunflowers face them

A woman in her late fifties
is pushing her mother in a wheelchair
along the same path and points out the sunflowers

A young boy perhaps three years old
is gingerly walking on the narrow concrete curb
to the pathway step by step testing his balance
His mother who is ahead of him waits patiently

What are we to learn
from the breathtaking beauty of the rose garden
in full bloom
or from the silent song bird
or from the school of fish that in themselves
have nothing to say ?

What are we to learn from the day-to-day
lessons of love
from the abiding ageing beauty of love ?

John Lyons