Life story
From the fierce flames
of such distant constellations
such a soft and subtle beauty
mined out of the earth
impeccable fruit of life
if I must fall let it be
into you loving arms
John Lyons
Month: Mar 2018
Not for want of asking
Not for want of asking
Animate the still-life
bring passion in
bring drive
and determination
Through the threads
of autumn and winter
sap will rise
cherries will bloom again
trees will extend their branches
to provide shade and comfort
through the summer months
Admire the crisp new leaf-edge
that softens the bleak urban sprawl
let the lines of poetry grow long
as they romp chapter and verse
through the purple clover
Lend an ear to the vowels
that bend in the breeze
and to those words
that might save you :
you from yourself
or your self from you
Learn from the wind that breathes
life into us all
the air that burns in our lungs
and think :
is there any other purpose
than love ?
John Lyons
After the fall
After the fall
What poets have
in common with
disgruntled lovers
a desire
to give you
a bit of their lip
true
the eyes have it
quick to spot
the nest
with the feathered
bed
and that’s life
ear in ear out
the heart beating
on a conundrum
Out of Eden
there ran a river
hubble bubble garden
of toil and trouble
we are all
fall guys and girls
John Lyons
On reading James Schuyler
On reading James Schuyler
There’s a lot to be learnt
from reading a poem
by James Schuyler
just as there is
from looking at
a blue shadow painting
The gift is
to look at the world
freshly and free of cliché
to look
with a good eye
and to listen
with a good ear
to devour life
with the senses
let it all flood in
and cherish
every experience
Nobody lives for ever
it’s a shame
but get over it
get on with it
and love it
John Lyons
Window of opportunity
Window of opportunity
What sunrise gives us
each day is sky
limitless space in which
to cast our dreams
as far as the eye
can see
No longer enclosed
in darkness
the imagination
can run riot
all things being
possible
even now
the birds have
changed their tune
and are singing
a song they learnt
on Broadway
Blue sky
more profound
than any ocean
and it takes
only a mind to navigate it
a mind and a brave
heart scudding along
on waves of poetry
the hawthorn
will soon be in flower
and roses will follow on
from daffodils
nests will fill
and field populations
will swell
with new birth
and the city
will pick up its feet
and dance
late into the night
each day a promise
each night a fulfillment
and your breath
and your pulse will race
to the end of love’s
sweet palpitation
John Lyons
There is a time
There is a time
There is a time for
fresh strawberries
and dandelions on
the lawn and swifts
and swallows darting
back and forth
and a slight case
of sunburn on my cheeks
and a stroll through
the ornamental garden
when everything
is in flower and you
are by my side
and we are still in love :
I can’t wait
for that time
John Lyons
An abstract life
An abstract life
Here in this stormy canvas
are elements of my life
the deep earth colours
from which I emerged
with streaks of green
and yellow and orange
and a crimson patch
of the blood I have given
to my art and poetry :
out of raw sienna
and umber a narrative
of lamp black and Prussian
blue and swathes of white
that represent steadfast
love and hope in the midst
unseasonal chaos
John Lyons
Oils on water
Oils on water
What I love
about this detail
from a recent canvas
is the way the colours
in the foreground
appear to be floating
on water or on ice :
it could be a pond
or a stretch of canal
frozen over such as
on Thursday
up by Ladbroke Grove
when I saw two swans
that were wondering
where to go with ice
all around them
and seemingly
no way out
John Lyons
Fruit of the flesh
Fruit of the flesh
Time itself is not change
nor does wisdom
come with age :
the fine powdery snow
blowing at our window
will not settle
it will be gone tomorrow
though today
we find ourselves
landlocked
trapped within a moment
within the taut dimensions
of our own making
and with decisions
on the tip
of the tongue
Last night not a peep
from the foxes
snugly buried
in their burrows
the quiet universe
a soundstage
for our words
stars falling
in icy fragments
and always
the question of love
fruit of the flesh
and what if anything
we will make of it
John Lyons
Reposted from yesterday with corrections
Hope against hope
Hope against hope
Yes I feel the cold
on my cheeks
my feet are frozen
inside my boots
and though wrapped up
as well as I can be
I am still slightly
shivering
But this winter weather
will soon pass and these days
will be forgotten along with
all the other days
we have forgotten
even though there were
some we swore we would
never forget
The snow lying thickly
has simplified the landscape
reduced it to its essentials
trees and houses and roads
and fields with here and there
a hungry fox in a back garden
But the snow will soon melt
and the earth once again
will be revealed in all its glory
and therein lies my hope
John Lyons
johnjosephlyons 