No reason to be sad
take it like a man
on the chin
betrayals
are two-a-penny
and almost always
a blessing in disguise
and history will soon
forget her
whoever she was
John Lyons
In the still fading day
rain is falling
falling still
into the earth
into the intricate roots
of the mighty oak and elm
I’ve known since I was a child
their bare black boughs
thrusting eagerly today
into dull grey air
Down by the river
through a dense thicket
I see a kingfisher
resting on a branch
unaware of my presence
and by the water’s edge
two voles playing catch
if catch can
living the life of endless
innocent time
In the still fading day
rain is falling
falling still
and a love lurks
in that corner of my heart
that longs to understand
what cannot be understood
and I splash cadmiums
random reds yellows and blue
on a drum-taut canvas
and the rain is falling still
still falling rain
John Lyons
To live in love’s timeless space
that thrives
in the sweet innocence of the day
that feasts on
the blessed miracle of air
that delights
in the touching tasting hearing saying
of human flesh
that carries its impenitent uprooted soul
with humble pride
through the long descending hours
until with breathful thrusts
it may penetrate the undying ecstasies
of the night
John Lyons
*The 40 cm x 40 cm canvas is my largest to date
In the keen pure silence
I trudge home
as the evening slumps into night
pieces of the city
still lodged in my mind
another day
and then another
and nothing changes
I look up at the sky
that womb of darkness
out of which time
and light were born
one time two times
so many times over
the stars of life and of death
that blossom into extinction
although their light lingers on
beyond the grave
just as nothing ever goes
into never
just as love only ever has been
only ever will be
John Lyons
A primrose a mayflower
a new time and place
a happening of the heart
in my altered circumstance
Now that the temperature
has dropped what I long for
is the whisper of a new world
and an open hand to beckon me
an open mind to embrace me
no longer to be merely a maybe
Time has me by the neck
I want it to cease and desist
to put the black cat
back in the bag for now
John Lyons
Pity poor flesh
pity poor stars and stones
pity poor world
of war and enmity
pity the lion and the forest
and the schools of children
doomed to a fading life
pity poor love and lip
that struggles to express
the heart’s true desires
seeking solace in the size
of a shoe and bag
and a dress cut to ribbons
Pity poor flesh
in its daily dalliance
with kingdom-come death
and made-to-measure
madness
John Lyons
The deep eyes of silence
of lips untouched
undelivered the last kiss
the mouth dry and the mind
searching for a subject
and so stripped of invention
life lurches into insanity
two sides to every bridge
But the truth was not born
in Brooklyn that summer’s day
when angels and devils crossed
paths at will : and true wars
are never won Yes there was love
more than you could imagine
and sadly perhaps truly
much more than we deserved
John Lyons
Last night with the full moon
I felt a tide rise within me
a surge of my old self
I’ll revert to my singularity
and be true and steadfast
in the pursuit of my pursuits
eyes peeled for the hawk
that hovers above
the ploughed fields
my gaze drawn
to the beauty of roses
in full bloom
Kind words I’ll trade
with whoever offers kindness
but I’ll be on my guard
against those shallow souls
with mean pinched faces
who’ve sought
to dupe and betray me with their
whimpering fantasies
: nothing false and possible
is love
which is ours to give
and to keep
as the seasons flick
ever lifewards
From humble heights
true love grows
to become in and of itself
a proud universe
of rapturous speech and gesture
within which lovers
kneel and bless themselves
and give praise
Yes
back to my old self
to the left hand
in sync with the right
balance and equanimity
nothing possible and false
is limitless
love
A creamy disk of light
against the pitch black sky
and the tug of blood
rushing through my veins
urging me to own and to disown
with discernment
I too have lived the learning curve
have timewise stumbled
here and there into bitter failure
: but no more
Cycles of pain and joy
I trust shall soon cede
to the once and for all
and love in my life
shall become
an enduring ecstasy
John Lyons
Revised version
One night last December
we sauntered up
to the Brandenburg Gate
as they were hanging
Christmas lights
on the linden trees
An icy wind
was blowing in
from Siberia
flakes of snow curled
in the streetlamps
and feathered
the pavement
I remember
how dark it was
all that history
all that repression
and now the release
the freedom
couples strolling
arm in arm or hand in hand
pausing to take pictures
or simply to admire
the majestic scene
We strolled into the Hotel Adlon
for champagne
raised our glasses
took a sip of pleasure
together : it was
a happy birthday
John Lyons
Yesterday at sunset
a sky tinged
with red and violet
that seemed to be
drifting away from me
into outer space
taking with it
my thoughts
Today I am still beset
by troublesome memories
so difficult to dislodge
but I know that soon
the winter winds
will rise
and blow them
all away
John Lyons
johnjosephlyons 