In this universe
forged from heat
there is frost
on the garden wall
ice where water
has frozen
here and there
in the gutters

and sometimes love
that blows hot and cold
the ebb and flow of passion
of desire too
and silence
not the absence of words
perhaps more than ever
mulled in the mind

a horde of magpies
on the lawn
Napoleon has landed
and the years
that seem to set
their own pace
one two three
and forever counting

the fox has seen me
walking down the alley
and is beating a retreat
snow has fallen
in parts of the country

Yesterday I shivered
and remembered my age
but shrugged it off
and went on my way
what the naked eye sees
what the naked mind
apprehends
One forgets
how many miles
how many words
how much love
makes a life

John Lyons