For the sake of words

to achieve what is possible
           in words and in actions
a little light in the darkness
           a little sense out of the tangle of words
it is madness not to be drawn to beauty
           and wilful cowardice
not to be drawn to the truth
           there are many ways in which to see
but most important when seeing
           is that it be an act of love

to see through the wiles of winter
           to know that summer will come again
that the cool winds will fade
           that the energy of sunlight
will once again ruddy my complexion
           the slothful mind will stir from the dust
that tone of light
           full of remembrance

from a pile of burning leaves smoke rising
           pear apple peach and plum in abundance
the infinite kindness of his hands
           that drew roses up from the soil into the light
the appetite for beauty never died nor for love
           see how the evening cools as the sun goes down
the silent air full of the hum of mosquitoes
           words that appear to glide along a sentence
cuckoo song and a full moon
           a fitting end to the day

John Lyons