A future to remember

It rained in the night
           and today has dawned
dull and unpromising
           there are murky puddles
in the street where a few
           deposits of sunlight have gathered
I can’t quite see my face
           in any of them

My mind goes back
           to a day when as a boy
I was sitting
           on the front door steps
thinking to myself
           that I’d like a future to remember
Has it really
           come to this ?

Last Friday I cut
           through the woods :
there were young children
           playing on the grass
I saw two swallows fly overhead
           but couldn’t tell if
they were heading south
           I’ve known these woods
since my early school days
           and over the years
many trees have fallen
           and many risen again
but it all looks
           the same to me

At night
           when I close my eyes
I dream of love
           and how that might make
for a future to remember
           above all else

John Lyons