The earth we walk

Something pure and simple
           on these cold mornings
when there is ice underfoot
           and windows are frosted
birds singing as though
           it were the dawn of time
which for them it is
           just as it is in a sense for us

we live on the threshold
           of the instant our memories
filled with future projects
           it’s all about what is to come
the next move the next step
           each of us with our own agenda
the marriages of hope
           and expectation
the bones we have built up
           for finer things

there are those who live
           on the side of time
and those who resist it
           those who could stare
for hours
           into the heart of a rose
and those who could never
           see the point

We live within the ruins
           of decadence and beauty
new cities will rise up
           on the site of our demise
but not for the moment
           the rose too will wither and die
but not for the moment—
           love all you can
while you can
           the rest is history

John Lyons