The act of being
all the theatre
all the parts we play
the intricate intrigues
the comedy and tragedy
our lives are staged
upon so many prosceniums
the lines we recall
and those long forgotten
role of leading man
of leading lady
the words we live
and breathe
words words words
John Lyons
He who creates
he or she
creates their day
fills the hours
with flowers
with bright words
with hope and love
acts in accordance
with the needs
and necessities
of others
including himself
including herself
gives praise
where it is due
to birdsong
and to blue skies
to amenable
currents of air
and to fair tides
sees beauty
in all things
and loves every
vital breath of life
John Lyons
From those early days
the canes soaked in water
until supple
then inserted
one spoke at a time
into the holes
around the rim
of the round wooden base
where they are firmly plaited
one reed under another
ready for the sides
to be woven
Handicraft : everything
that is man-made
the mind-word
that puts the hand
to work
We who rise up
from the base of the land
turn our minds
to manufacture
to form and to shape
and to put our environment
to work
Solar energy
grass-fed or otherwise
creating and constructing
The light made us
the mind turned the hand
to good use
John Lyons
It really is
all about bridges
building them
not burning them
nor being afraid
to cross them
nor getting left behind
on the wrong side :
there is no such thing
as a bridge too far
A bridge is
a horizontal door
laid down between
two locations
John Lyons
The silence
the stillness
all appetites
appeased
the mind
at rest
neither to
nor fro
a soft focus
on the moment
free from
blind ambition
or sad
remembrance
of what might
have been
Call it
equilibrium
balance
the non-medicated
soul that stirs
only to savour
the peace
it holds within
words are a comfort
but between them
comes the solace
of silence
John Lyons
This with the mother’s milk
a world to be mouthed
a world of silence
and of syllables
articulate at the lips
a world chewed over
or sometimes swallowed whole
words that wind us up
to the heavens
or drag us down
to unseasonable hells
breath pulse and word
or else a stupified
thoughtless universe
John Lyons
Nobody cries over a few fallen leaves
the ground littered with chestnuts
a sky so blue you can see through it
nature is reseeding and stocks
of fruit and berries are high
We’ll make it through the winter
cold winds build character
survival is in our bones
John Lyons
The poem as a celebration
of the occasion
when minds meet
where words on the page
become the interface
between you and I
Whatever joy or sadness
I am feeling
my thoughts are laid out
in these lines
for my reader to follow
what catches my eye
what impinges
on my consciousness
here in my breath
captured for all time
John Lyons
Though I live
in the shadow
of your light
my flesh does not
grow dim
The days grind
down the hours
but in your life
roses and gladioli
and orchids abound
and autumn holds
no mystery
as music sustains
your breath
each noted syllable
a joy
your song has many voices
your voice many songs
but all that issues
from your lips
is love
John Lyons
Though I live
in the shadow
of your light
my flesh does not
grow dim
The days grind
down the hours
but in your life
there are roses
gladioli and orchids
and winter holds
no mystery
and music sustains
your breath
each noted syllable
a joy
my song has many voices
my voice many songs
but all that issues
from my lips
is love
John Lyons
johnjosephlyons 