Words words words

However much we may resent
         and dislike it
life is all about measurement
         about span and length
and breadth
         / including breath /
the distance from A to B
         and from now until then
cradle to the grave
         a lifetime of chronometry
and kilometers
         the old faithfuls of time and space
in the midst of what passes
         for eternity
which is simply the abolition
         of these parameters

And yet the rose
         and yet the promise
The small doses
         of pleasure that life deals
and the words
         that hold it all together
just about
         perhaps nothing more
than a lasting illusion
         a walk in the park
under a Sunday autumn sun
         flowers still in bloom
family life at play
         on the lawns
lovers on the benches
         locked in a kiss

Poetry too
         is about time and space
and what you make of it
         and what you don’t
a silence filled with
         words words words

John Lyons