On time

Time is the direction
           it is the space in which
faces appear
           a place of being
and here life occurs
           from birth onwards
and along the way
           things are singled out
roses the sea the stars
           the sun the earth
in all its properties
           and at the core comes
tenderness
           the disposition to love
and to be loved
           one life enhancing another
and putting down markers
           so as to say
here we experienced great joy here
           we felt that we were one
here we got the better of time
           and lulled its rhythm
so that we could love
           at leisure

And Venus
           rose on those mornings
and we felt
           that it was our planet
a more significant moon
           and its light struck a chord

Time is so many things
           luminous time
that flows along rivers
           ascends mountains
gusts in the wild winds
           and sometimes settles curled
into a corner and gently sleeps
           by the lovers’ bed

John Lyons