Mindfulness

Be mindful of love
           so that you may see
in the day as well
           as in the dark

sight and sound
           may be a distraction
so that you may not
           see or hear
all that you
           necessarily should

how long does it take
           to appreciate a rose
without dismissing it
           in seconds as a gorgeous
stereotype
           how long to see it
in all its glory
           in the simplicity
and freshness
           of its beauty

and remember
           that time takes time
and that these days
           will never come again
nor this rose
           and unless you
care for it well
           nor this love

John Lyons

Ring tone

Get on the bus
           at Putney Bridge
ahead of me
           a petite nun
traditional blue habit
           in her mid-forties
sits across the aisle from me
           mobile phone in her hand

As the bus pulls away 
            from the station
I hear the strains
           of the Ave Maria
and the nun answers
           in what I take to be
an Eastern European
           language

John Lyons

Where ?

The rose asks
where is the bee
where is the rain
where is the sun

where is the sound
of children’s laughter
of lovers’ whispers
where are beauty
and truth ?

John Lyons

Nine words

How soon
the rose fades
under the burden
of beauty

John Lyons

Morning

This morning at sunrise
             the birdsong louder than ever
the air is heavy and humid
             promising thunder
before yielding
             to a clear blue sky

No time for words
             the peace
the silence
             and the chatter of birds
says it all
             the irrepressible thrust
of self-perpetuating nature
             : words can be overrated

John Lyons

Summer love

Now is a time for apricot
             for cherry for peach and for plum
there’s not a cloud in the sky
             and fields are filled with buttercups
and daisies and dandelions
             by which we may tell the time

Now is the time for warm blood
             and for soft hearts
for days spent
             by the ancestral ocean
a refreshing breeze blowing in
             across the gentle billows
now is the time for you
             to lay your head down next to mine
to close your eyes
             and to dream of paradise

John Lyons