Beyond the new moon

Beyond the new moon
           falling
oak leaves and acorns :
           a child in her mother’s arms
smiled at me and beyond that smile
           a life I will never see

As the sun rose
           I heard pigeons calling
one to another
           but not to me
Temperatures have dipped
           not quite enough
to form a frost
           but that will come too
and the long summer days
           will be forgotten

We’re into the last
           of blue September skies
and beyond these
           who knows what winds
will blow
           or when

I want to winter in the warmth
           of her arms
out of harm’s way
           These words
these falling leaves have left me
           utterly defenceless
Words set in white space
           in convivial silence
that’s poetry
           that’s all I have

John Lyons