A declaration of independence
This then
is the voice of me
the breath and the wherewithal
of me
the much-travelled road
the all seen and done of me
I place flowers in my poetry
roses above all
and the beauty of her flesh
that I sing because it is there
to be sung
to be praised to the heavens
as all truth is
I have my geography
I wear it under my chin
I sleep with it at night
I ferry it from place to place
I am an archipelago of selves
and yet dwell in my oneness
if there is an energy greater
than the power of love
please let me know
I would trim my hair
and polish my shoes
in order to have the pleasure
but I doubt
I doubt there is anything
truer or more constant
than love
no weather can destroy it
no years no times no place
it is at the very heart
of my life
it is what palpitates
what glows with its own
quite special radiation
it is there for all to see
shamelessly affirmative
it is what poetry
was made for
John Lyons
